


Soul Mates 2/2

by thebasement_archivist



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Crossover, Fiction, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-12-03
Updated: 2002-12-03
Packaged: 2018-11-20 07:17:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 36,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11331063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebasement_archivist/pseuds/thebasement_archivist
Summary: Doggett and Reyes investigate an X-File in Wisconsin, while Mulder discovers an interesting connection between him and Doggett.





	Soul Mates 2/2

**Author's Note:**

> Note from alice ttlg, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Basement](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Basement), which moved to the AO3 to ensure the stories are always available and so that authors may have complete control of their own works. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in June 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [The Basement's collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thebasement/profile).

 

Soul Mates 2/2

### Soul Mates 2/2

#### by Jo B

Soul Mates 2/2 

* * *

Gulf of Mexico  
Sunday, December 9, 2001  
noon 

The wind from the helicopter rotors scattered the ashes further upon the air as they drifted down to the shimmering waters below. 

Doggett held back a sob as he watched the gray ash until it was no longer visible. Mulder's arms wrapped around him, and a sob escaped John's lips as he buried his face against Mulder's shoulder and cried. He hadn't cried at Reyes' funeral service, but being alone with Mulder in the back of the helicopter he no longer felt the need to rein in his emotions. 

Mulder held him tenderly. "Take us home, Jack." 

* * *

The Cody Ranch  
Tuesday, December 18, 2001  
1:00 p.m. 

The clang of steel against steel filled the air, above the sounds of kids splashing around in the outdoor pool. Two men danced around each other on the tennis court down the hill, both looking for any sign of weakness in the other's defenses. It had been over two weeks since MacLeod started teaching Doggett to fight with a sword, two long painful weeks for the FBI agent. Mulder sat watching them from a lounge chair on the patio as he had done each day during John's training. Afterward he would take care of his lover who usually had cuts and bruises all over his body. MacLeod had told them that he feared John's recovery time might prove to be fatal in a real fight. 

So MacLeod focused on teaching John to be the best swordsman he could be and worked on his endurance. Happily they all discovered that John was a natural. The agent handled a sword as if he'd been born with it in his hand. If MacLeod, with help from Mulder, could help John improve his endurance, he might just survive the fights coming his way. Mulder and Doggett were already working at it. Each morning they went for a ten-mile jog, and then worked out with the punching bag Mulder had set up in the exercise room in the house. 

Mulder glanced toward the group of men and boys who were watching the sword fight from a safe distance down the hill. The audience had bothered MacLeod at first, until he realized that the people took his quick healing ability in stride with everything else they had experienced in their lives. Most of these people, MacLeod had learned, by talking to them, had been abducted by aliens and subjected to painful experimentation. The sight of a man whose wounds healed almost instantly didn't faze them, and as one man put it, as long as the blood spilled is red and not green it didn't scare them. The number of people that were now living on the ranch had grown to slightly over five hundred, including men and women from different Native American tribes across the continent. 

Several women sat around the pool talking as their kids swam. The decision to allow the kids and their parents to use the pool had been agreed upon by Mulder and Doggett. They didn't want their personal lives intruded upon, but they agreed to allow them the use of the pool from noon until sunset as long as there were two adult volunteers to act as lifeguards. 

Doggett had worked out an arrangement with a couple of sisters, Rachel and Barb Nelson, who offered to clean and do the laundry in exchange for a small salary and a bedroom within the house. He made sure first that his and Mulder's relationship wouldn't offend them, and that Mulder was okay with them being in the house. Not having to clean and do the laundry gave them more free time. 

Pierson collapsed in the chair next to Mulder. "John's getting better every day, he's almost as good as Mac." He took a sip from a bottle of beer. "I heard back from Master Balderoon, he said he'd have no problem getting the magnetite for the sword and the two shields you ordered." 

"Good. I don't want my enemies to find out that I know their weakness." 

"What does this magnetite do to them?" 

Mulder thought back to the cave paintings. "It kills them." 

"Wouldn't a shot to the brain do that?" 

"No, not unless the bullets were made from magnetite. We crushed one to a pulp in a garbage truck compactor and he came back to life. Then there are the other races of aliens. The morphs could only be killed when stabbed by a metal pick or shot through the base of their skull and into their brains. Their blood is also toxic to humans, so shooting them is likely to kill any humans that are exposed to it. Now with the magnetite we have another way of killing the morphs." 

Pierson was intrigued. "How many races of alien are there?" 

"I've counted six since I started investigating the X-Files. Not all of them are here to harm us." 

"What was the strangest case you've ever investigated?" 

Mulder smiled wearily as he picked up the glass of iced tea. "There's been so many, I'd have to say Eugene Tooms. He was a mutant who would wake from thirty years of hibernation, killed five people and ate their livers, then went back into hibernation for another thirty-years." 

"Did he have a nice Chianti with them?" Pierson quipped. 

Mulder rolled his eyes. "Tooms was able to stretch his body to fit through tiny openings like vents. It was how he broke into his victim's homes and offices. We were able to capture him the first time and had him committed. But Dr. Monte who was his psychiatrist, was able to get the court to release Tooms from the sanitarium on the grounds that he was now sane and no longer a threat to society. Tooms ended up killing Doctor Monte." 

"And they say there's no justice left in the world." 

"What about you, Adam?" 

"What about me?" 

"After five-thousand years you must have come across some strange people and paranormal events." 

"I've come across strange people, witches, druids, and a few werewolves. So what happened to this liver eating, Rip van Winkle, rubber man?" 

"I crushed him to death with an escalator." 

"Wouldn't it have been easier to just shoot him or did he have toxic blood?" 

"It would have been easier, but I dropped my gun trying to get away from him." 

"Oh, Fox." Pierson chuckled and affectionately squeezed Mulder's hand. 

"Oh, Fox, what?" Doggett glared at Pierson as he stopped before the lounge chairs. 

Mulder and Pierson had been so busy talking that they didn't realize that Doggett and MacLeod had finished the afternoon training session. 

Mulder grinned up at John and climbed to his feet. "I was telling Adam about the Eugene Tooms case, and how I dropped my gun. How are you doing? You don't seem to be bleeding today." 

"I'm fine, Fox." 

"Don't worry, Mulder, John was able to fend off all of my blows today and got in a couple of good swipes." MacLeod showed Mulder his slashed shirt covered in dry blood. "He's been one of my finest students. As you know, Adam and I need to catch a flight to France tomorrow afternoon. We'll be back some time after the New Year." 

"Thanks for your help, Mac." 

"Hey, it's been my pleasure. I think John should be fine until I can get back here to continue his training." 

"Since it's your last night here, why don't we drive into town for a real meal and drinks at the saloon?" Doggett suggested. 

"Now that's a good idea!" Pierson stood. 

"I need to take a shower first," Doggett said as they headed into the house. 

* * *

Canton Texas  
The Leadbelly saloon 

Country music played on the jukebox in the smoky barroom. Doggett glanced around as he sipped a Scotch on the rocks. Most of the locals were watching them closely. The news about bigfoot had died down on the national news, but they were still the talk of Canton. Doggett was feeling good with a full belly after a meal of barbecue ribs, baked beans, and corn bread. His attention was drawn away from the conversation Fox was having with MacLeod to the saloon's doorway as a man in his late sixties, wearing a badge, stepped through it. The man glanced around until his eyes fell on their table, then he headed toward it. 

"Howdy!" He nodded to each of them then held out his hand to Mulder. "Mr. Mulder or should I say Mr. Samuel Cody, I'm Sheriff Clint Garner I've been meaning to drop by your place for a couple of weeks now." 

Mulder shook his hand. "Sheriff, I'd prefer Sam Cody. I really don't want the press or enemies I've made over the years while working for the FBI to find out where I'm living." 

The sheriff nodded. "That's understandable." 

Pierson pulled a chair over from another table. "Sit down, Sheriff, and have a drink." He thought it might be in their best interests to humor the Sheriff. 

"Thanks, but I don't imbibe while on duty." 

"Not even coffee?" Mulder asked, holding up his coffee mug. 

"Designated driver?" Sheriff Garner asked as he sat at the table and signaled to the barmaid. 

"Yeah," Mulder nodded. 

"Howdy, Sheriff, what can I bring ya?" she drawled as she sashayed up to the table. 

"Coffee with cream, Heather." 

Doggett held out his hand to the sheriff. "I'm John Doggett, these are Adam Pierson and Duncan MacLeod." 

"Pleasure to meet ya," the Sheriff said as he shook their hands. "Did you ever meet Bill Cody, Mr. Mulder?" 

"No. I didn't know anything about him until his lawyer contacted me." 

"Bill Cody was an acquaintance of mine since childhood. He was a strange little man. Years ago he became obsessed with UFOs and government conspiracies that type of bullshit. He used to go on and on about you and what the government knows about aliens. I always thought that Bill was a few bricks short of a full load, and a little light in the loafers, if you catch my drift. Not cut out for cattle ranching like his ancestors had been. It was a shame that he'd run the ranch into the ground." 

"So what did you want to see me about?" Mulder asked. 

"The hundreds of people moving out to your ranch. Who are they and why are they there?" 

"Would you believe they're alien abductees?" 

"No." 

Mulder shrugged. 

Doggett leaned back in his chair. He didn't need the Sheriff thinking they were crackpots and Fox wasn't helping much. "Sheriff Garner, I don't buy this alien abductee crap either but that's the story they're telling us. I tend to believe that if they were abducted it was by rogue elements within our government and military." 

The Sheriff leveled Doggett with a stern look. "Oh, so you're one of those government conspiracy wackos. Why don't you just ask them to move on?" 

Doggett flinched, deciding this Sheriff was a grade A asshole. It was all that he could do to remain civil. "We tried. They won't go." He held up his hand to the barmaid ordering another drink. 

"You can get a court order and have them forcefully removed." 

"NO!" Mulder glared at the sheriff. "These people have been through traumas in their life that you wouldn't understand. They can stay on my property for as long as they want." 

"Sheriff Garner always was an asshole." 

Mulder's eyes-widened as they fell on William Cody standing behind the Sheriff's chair. He held his tongue when he realized that no one else could see or hear Cody. 

"Fox, are you okay?" Doggett asked. 

"Ah, yeah." 

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Pierson commented as he looked around the saloon. "You have, haven't you?" 

Cody chuckled. "Just ignore Sheriff Snoopy, Fox. He's always been a bully and a busybody worse than a church lady at a Sunday social." 

Mulder focused his attention on his coffee mug, trying to ignore the ghost. It was bad enough that John didn't believe in aliens, but at least he didn't think he was crazy. Although he and John had both seen and talked to Monica's ghost, it was different. John was even trying to convince himself that it had only been a hallucination brought on by hanging upside down while being in severe pain and shock. 

"Look, Sheriff Garner, my ranch is outside of your jurisdiction. The people that are moving there have my permission to be there," Mulder said. 

"These people aren't only staying on your ranch they've been coming into my town, and I want to know who they are and what they're doing here." 

"Your town? I didn't realize this part of the U.S. was now a fiefdom," MacLeod said. 

The Sheriff glared and stood. "Mr. Mulder, I want a list of everyone staying at your ranch." 

"Not if they don't want to give you their names." 

"That's telling him," Cody said as he made faces at the Sheriff. 

Mulder had a hard time keeping a straight face. William Cody was a small man while the Sheriff was tall and brawny. Cody reminded Mulder of Frohike. He wondered why the ghost hadn't made his presence known before now. 

"I'll be out next week to collect those names," Sheriff Garner said before turning and heading for the door. 

"Well that was pleasant," Pierson said, "Maybe Mac and I should stay around for a while." 

"No!" Mulder and Doggett said simultaneously. 

Mulder sighed. "Adam, you and Mac have holiday plans in France. Go enjoy yourselves, John and I will be fine. We're both trained FBI agents after all. We're used to dealing with small town sheriffs." 

"Okay, Fox, but we will be back in January." 

"C'mon, let's get back to the ranch," Doggett said. It was close to midnight and the ranch was forty-five miles south of there. 

Mulder glanced around for Cody, but the ghost had vanished. 

* * *

The Cody Ranch  
Friday, December 21, 2001  
10:00 a.m. 

The family room of the ranch house was full of representatives of the alien abductees. Doggett hadn't had much time to meet many of them since he had been involved in his training with MacLeod. So he was surprised to find out that most were normal people and not fringe lunatics. At the meeting were three doctors, a programmer, a Navajo warrior, two teachers, a chef, a policeman, a nurse, an electrical engineer, and an architect. They had been selected by over five hundred abductees to represent them at this meeting. 

"We want to build more permanent facilities on the ranch," Ron Fletcher said. He was the architect. 

"What do you hope to gain by living here?" Doggett asked. "Don't you have lives and families to get back to?" 

They all looked over at Mulder. 

Amanda Sanders spoke up, "John, none of us want to go through another abduction. We're here because of Mulder. If anyone can find a way to defeat them it will be him." 

Doggett expected Mulder to tell them that he didn't know how to defeat them; that it would be best if they went home to their families. Instead he was surprised as Mulder stood and took leadership of the group. 

"We will defeat them together as a team. I can't do it alone, I've been fighting them alone for too long." Mulder looked at each of them. "I have an idea about how to exterminate the ones that have infiltrated our government and military. With your help we can take back our government and military and win this war." 

There were shouts of agreement and support. 

"Then we take the battle to them!" Ed Toma shouted, he was a Chicago policeman. 

"Yes. I want to organize our members into groups. Those that will function as a support crew that will stay behind on the base and handle the day-to-day functions here and the others that will be trained as fighters to go out on raids and recon missions. John, can you handle this? You have more military experience than I do. My only military experience involved breaking onto various bases and installations." 

"Fox, can we talk this through first?" Doggett asked. He didn't want to be responsible for getting innocent civilians killed. 

"John, you might not believe in aliens, but even you have admitted that parts of our military and government have been compromised by bad elements set on destroying our civil liberties. If we do not destroy them first they will enslave or kill us." 

"How can we hope to destroy them with a ragtag band of fighters? They are stronger and better financed than we are." 

"We have truth and right on our side." Mulder kneeled at John's feet. "I won't let them take me again. I'd rather die first. Either I die fighting them or I die by suicide. What choice would you have me make?" 

"You have another choice. Live here with me and not get involved. They will leave you alone." Doggett wanted to find out more about what Mulder remembered about his abduction. He knew his lover had been brutally tortured. 

"No. They haven't killed me yet because they have other plans for me. If I do nothing, John, one day they will come here and take me again." Mulder looked around at the others. "Besides, I don't want another man, woman, or child to suffer at their hands, and I don't think you do either." 

Doggett looked into his lover's eyes and knew he was right. He'd known the moment that he agreed to stay here with Mulder that he'd standby his lover's side and fight for him, for them. "Okay, Fox. We'll kick their asses together!" 

"Great! Now where to start? Ron, can you draw up plans for the facilities we'll need to build on the ranch?" 

"I'll get on it, Mulder." 

"Char, do people have enough food?" 

Char Jefferson nodded. She was a professional chef from New Orleans. "We have plenty of food, but we could use more refrigerators and stoves. I recommend building a communal kitchen and dining hall. There are several men and women that are quite proficient in the kitchen." 

"Okay, work with Ron on what you need." 

"John, do you want to work with Ed on selecting those best suited to be trained as soldiers?" 

"Sure, Fox." 

"Susan, Daniel, and Jose, we are going to need a medical facility to care for those living here and any of our people that get injured." 

"I can have the medical equipment from my clinic moved down here," Doctor Susan Winters said. "We'll just need a building that can be sanitized to move it into." 

Mulder nodded and looked over at the architect. 

"I'll add it to the list, Mulder," Ron Fletcher said. 

"Fox, this is going to get expensive. How are we going to finance it?" Doggett asked. 

Mulder looked across the room where William Cody stood in the center of a hardwood coffee table. He'd been there throughout the meeting. Cody had shown him where he had millions in gold bars hidden in the basement. "William Cody left me millions in gold to handle the initial expense." 

"I'll be willing to contribute all of my savings to our cause," Professor Arty Green said. "It's about three million dollars." 

"Thanks, Arty," Doggett said. 

* * *

The Cody Ranch  
Saturday, December 22, 2001  
9:00 p.m. 

The flames crackled and popped in the hearth as Mulder and Doggett sat wrapped in each other's arms, watching the fire and sipping hot buttered rums. The nighttime temperatures had fallen into the low fifties. It had been three days since Pierson and MacLeod left. Three days that focused mainly around Mulder and Doggett discussing family, friends, and other interests, making love and getting closer. This was the first time they'd been alone together since becoming lovers. Their housekeepers, Rachel and Barb, kept out of their way in the evenings. The women stayed in the servant's quarters on the other side of the ranch. 

Doggett's fingers played with the short strands of hair at the back of his lover's head. "Fox, what do you remember about your abduction?" 

"Everything." 

"Tell me about it?" 

"John, talking about it will only ruin our evening!" 

Doggett leaned over and kissed Mulder softly on the lips. "I have to know what you remember, and I think you need to get it off your chest." 

Mulder sighed. "Okay, if you insist." He took a sip of his drink as he thought about where to begin. "I remember being in the woods with Skinner when I noticed the beams from the lasers, we had set up, stopped against some invisible force. I reached out and touched it and was pulled inside." He swallowed as he stared into the flames dancing in the hearth. The fire burned in his sultry hazel eyes as his expression turned reflective. 

"In the middle of the clearing was a circle of light with all of the abductees from Bellefleur standing inside, and like a moth to a flame, I was drawn to them and the light. I felt a sensation of peace and love as I approached them, so I stepped into the light to be with them. It wasn't until I saw the morph that I realized I had no control over my body and had just made the biggest mistake in my life. The look he gave me froze the blood in my veins. Suddenly there was a bright light from above and we were transported onboard the ship." 

"I woke up floating inside a tub of liquid. Strangely I could breathe and the liquid felt soothing against my skin. That was the only pain free moment I would have on the ship." Mulder closed his eyes and shuddered. The memories were all still too fresh and painful. 

Doggett took the mug from Mulder's shaking hand and set it on the coffee table. He then pulled his lover into his arms. Mulder rested his head on John's shoulder and wrapped his arms around his lover. 

"I'm here, Fox. You don't have to talk about it, if it's too painful." Doggett wondered how the government managed to pull it off. If they had hypnotized Mulder and the others into believing that aliens had abducted them. Doggett was positive the military was responsible for all of the abductions. 

"No, it's okay. You're right I need to get this off my chest." Mulder felt safe in John's arms. It allowed him to open his mind to memories he had been suppressing since he left the hospital after his recovery. "The aliens took me out of the tank and led me through passageways in the ship. I remember shivering as the cold liquid dried on my bare skin. It seemed that I was not going to be given clothes to wear. One of the passages opened onto a large room. I couldn't see the ceiling and some of the corners were pitch black. In the middle of the room, under floodlights, was a medieval-looking stone chair with what appeared to be medical instruments around it. The chair reminded me of a dentist chair, in that, the person in it was meant to be in a reclined position. When the morphs tried to put me in that chair, I fought them, but it was no use there were four of them. They placed my arms and legs into grooves in the chair and held them down as metal spikes were driven through my forearms and ankles. I heard and felt my bones snap." 

Doggett flinched, remembering the wounds on Mulder's arms and ankles when he found his body. It made him sick to his stomach that their own government had men capable of such inhuman cruelty. 

"Then one held my head down as another put metal hooks through my cheeks to immobilize my head. The pain was indescribable. I couldn't move. One of them grabbed my penis and inserted it into some sort of device that was fitted over my groin. I tried to tell them that I wasn't into S&M," Mulder quipped weakly. 

"Fuck, if I get my hands on those bastards I'll strangle them!" Doggett growled as he held Mulder tighter. 

Mulder lifted his head and looked into John's eyes. "I'd prefer we don't get close enough for you to strangle one." 

"How about close enough so I can chop off their heads?" 

Mulder chuckled. "We'll see." 

Doggett sighed, "Fox, I love you." 

Mulder caressed the side of his lover's face. "I've felt so alone since I returned...I no longer feel that way. John, you've given me the strength and the will to fight on." He kissed Doggett softly on the lips. "Thank you." 

"I'm sorry you didn't have anyone there for you since your return. You never should have been alone, not after what you've gone through." 

"John, tomorrow I want us to drive to New Mexico. What I need to show you isn't far from here only about a five-hour car ride." 

"Sure, Fox." Doggett eased Mulder off him then stood; he reached back and pulled his lover to his feet. "Let's go to bed." 

* * *

New Mexico  
Sunday, December 23, 2001  
1:00 p.m. 

Doggett swallowed nervously and fought dawn a bout of claustrophobia. This wasn't like the cold, smelly, bigfoot caves in Wisconsin, but Doggett still felt panic swelling in his belly as Mulder led him through another dark tunnel lit only by their flashlights. He thought he saw dark shapes moving in his peripheral vision and quickly swung the flashlight to illuminate the dark crevices. 

Mulder reached back and took his hand. "I'm sorry, John. I should have realized that you'd be afraid to be inside another cave." 

"I'm not afraid!" Doggett snapped as he pulled his hand free from his lover's. He hated that Mulder was right. It was incredibly hard to take each step deeper into the dark narrow tunnels. 

A dim light shone up ahead and Doggett quickened his steps. Soon they entered a large cavern. Overhead, there was a hole in the one hundred-foot high ceiling, allowing light from outside into the cavern. There were also phosphorescence veins running through the rocks, illuminating other portions of the cavern. On the ground were rocks covered in moss, and small pools of water with silver fish swimming inside. It felt like being in another world. 

"What is this place?" 

"This is where the last of the Anasazi sought refuge, eventually dying from starvation." Mulder looked around and smiled at the ghost children playing around in the cavern. 

"Sought refuge from what?" 

"This." Mulder shone the light on the cave paintings. 

Doggett wandered over and looked at them as Mulder explained. 

"They preferred death by starvation to having their bodies infected and taken over by the oiliens." 

Doggett frowned as he studied the pictures. He tried to wrap his mind around what they were depicting. He had no trouble wrapping his mind around the oiliens after he had seen someone infected by it with his own eyes. The other parts of the painting disturbed him...fanged creatures and a cigar shaped object floating above the figures. "What's so special about these caves that the oiliens couldn't get them in here?" 

"Magnetite. It runs throughout this entire cave system." Mulder picked up a rock and placed it in Doggett's hand. "It's deadly to the aliens." 

"How did you find these caves?" 

"I was led here by the spirit of a Sioux medicine man." 

Doggett was going to tell his lover that that was complete bullshit until he saw the last painting on the wall. His heart stopped beating for a brief moment as it lodged in his throat. He shook off the initial shock and became angry. "What the hell is this?" 

"I think that should be quite clear-" 

"Bullshit! Fox, someone has gone to extreme lengths to set you up! To set us up!" 

Mulder looked from John to the Anasazis that had started appearing around the cavern. "No one is setting me up. That picture is of us painted over a thousand years ago." 

"Fox, the style doesn't match the other pictures. It's too detailed and colorful. Ask yourself why it hadn't faded over the centuries? If this is of us from another time, why do we look the same as we do now?" Doggett shivered, as the cavern became cold. He could see his breath. 

"Maybe it wasn't painted by anyone living." Mulder looked at the Anasazi who had appeared at John's side. The man's hands had different color paint stains on them. "Maybe we didn't look like we do now, but the ghosts here wanted to make it easier for us to accept that in another life we once lived and fought the aliens together." 

Mulder pulled his eyes off the Anasazi. "John, look around you and tell me what you see?" 

"Fox." 

"Humor me." 

Doggett sighed and looked around the cavern. He didn't see anything at first, and then he caught sight of spheres of light floating across the space. One of the spheres took on a different shape and appeared to have limbs. "What the fuck?" 

"What do you see?" 

"White translucent shapes...you're not going to tell me I'm seeing ghosts?" 

Mulder looked at the people that he could see as clearly as he saw John. "They're the Anasazi. Most of them are children and women. There are only a few braves and old men." He smiled. The children were playing and laughing. If they had suffered during their death, they had no memory of it now. 

Doggett watched the shapes that faded in and out. He almost thought he saw a face on one, but that was too brief. "You see them?" 

"Yes, I see and hear them. They appear as solid as you do to me. So you see, John, I haven't been set up. Our past and future is tied together. We are soul mates." 

"Dammit, Fox, having you for a lover is going to take some major mental adjustments on my part." 

Mulder's eyes sparkled with delight. "You seemed to have adjusted to being an immortal fine. I don't think you should have much of a problem accepting that your boyfriend talks to dead people and believes in aliens." 

Doggett chuckled and pulled Mulder in his arms and kissed him until they were both breathless. He closed his eyes and hugged Mulder tightly. "You're weird, Fox, but I love you anyway." 

Mulder relished the feel of his lover's strong arms around him as he hugged John back. "C'mon, guy, I want to collect some magnetite then we should be heading back home." He pulled away and shrugged off the empty backpack he had on. Mulder figured he could get fifty to sixty pounds of magnetite in it. 

"What do you hope to do with this stuff," Doggett asked as he picked up a piece of the ore that Mulder had identified as magnetite and place it in the backpack. 

"I want it in our home and in the camp with the abductees. I want to make bullets out of it. I think magnetite will protect us from the replicants," Mulder said, placing several junks of rock in his backpack. "We won't be able to carry very much back, but I think we can give our resistance fighters something productive to do by coming here and mining the magnetite." 

Doggett chuckled. "Well, for once I can agree with you." 

They finished filling the backpack and Doggett helped Mulder put it back on. 

Doggett took one more look at the cave paintings before swinging his flashlight toward the tunnel they had entered through. "Let's get out of here." He wasn't sure what he was feeling. The idea that maybe he and Mulder had been involved together in another life was just too weird, even if deep down he liked the idea of them being connected through time. 

* * *

San Diego  
Sunday, December 23, 2001  
5:00 p.m. 

"Dana, do you want to get the cookies out of the oven?" Mrs. Scully said as she iced a raisin spice cake for their Christmas Eve celebration. 

"Sure, Mom." Scully placed her son back in his bassinet then walked across the kitchen to the stove. 

She had just moved into the house two days earlier and still had a lot of unpacking to do. With help from her mother and sister-in-law they had gotten the kitchen and bathroom items put away and William's nursery wallpapered. She still needed to hang the pictures and paintings, and unpack books and other knickknacks. 

The house had three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a nice large fenced backyard. It was walking distance to the elementary school. Scully's mother had agreed to move with them. Margaret Scully still had her home in Maryland, but after the holidays she planned to put it up for sale. 

The doorbell rang and Scully set the hot cookie sheet on a cooling rack and hurried to answer it. It was the mailman with a package. By the postmark, she could see that it had gone to her old address and was forwarded to her new address. 

"Thanks." 

"You're welcome, have a merry Christmas," the postman said. 

"You, too," Scully said as she closed the door, then carried the package into the kitchen, and set it on the breakfast table. She went to look for a knife to cut the tape. 

"What is it, Dana?" 

"I don't know, Mom. It's from Baby Style." She sliced the tape and opened the large box then pulled out three gift-wrapped packages. One of the labels read: To Scully, from Mulder and John, Merry Christmas. The other two packages were for William. "The package is from Mulder and John. They must have ordered them online and had them shipped to my old address. It's lucky they got here before Christmas." 

Maggie looked at the gifts. "It's too bad Fox couldn't be here for Christmas, after all he is William's father." 

Scully didn't want her mom to know the real reason behind her former partner's absence. It was better not to scare her. "I'm sure it's hard for Mulder to get away, he is taking care of John who has both of his arms in casts." 

"That was nice of Fox, but his responsibility to you and William should come first." 

"Mom, we're not lovers. Although I love and care about Mulder, I don't love him in that way. I realized when he was missing how much of myself I had lost being his partner. I had regained a piece of myself while he was gone, I just cannot go back to that life again." 

"I didn't know you felt that way about him," Maggie said sadly. 

Scully sighed, "I realized how I felt when he came home from the hospital. He wasn't excited about my being pregnant, and he couldn't relate to what I'd gone through when he was abducted. After William was born, Mulder did kiss me for the first time, but there were no sparks." 

Maggie frowned as she scooped batter onto another cookie sheet. "He's still William's father. I hope you don't cut him out of his son's life." 

"Mulder is welcome to see William whenever he wants." Scully doubted her ex-partner would be able to see William as long as his presence put their lives in danger. 

* * *

Cody Ranch  
Sunday, December 23, 2001  
10:00 p.m. 

Doggett thrust in and out of his lover's body while staring down into Fox's passion-filled eyes as his lover moaned and rocked in time with his thrusts. Sweat dripped off his brow onto Fox's heaving chest as he rammed in harder and faster. He reached for his lover's swollen shaft and pumped it, bringing Fox off, then he rode out the clenching muscles as the beautiful body beneath him was rocked by an intense orgasm. Doggett continued to possess Fox, claiming ownership of his body. He bent and licked a white splash of come off his lover's chest. This was the first time he'd tasted another man's come, he found it not bad tasting and knowing it was part of his lover he found it highly erotic. He tenderly licked the bite mark above Fox's left nipple that he had left earlier. 

Mulder lowered his legs from John's shoulders and wrapped them around his waist. He was getting hard again, and was sure he'd come for a second time if John continued fucking him with the same intensity. He was going to feel this all day tomorrow. Mulder smiled as he held John's head against his chest. His lover's tongue was teasing his nipple as he continued to fuck him. 

Doggett licked his way up to Mulder's neck and started sucking the tender flesh. 

"Auugh!" Mulder cried out as he experienced a second orgasm. 

This time, Doggett allowed his lover's clenching anal muscles to pull him over the edge as he emptied his essence into Fox before collapsing on top of him. 

Mulder's fingers caressed Doggett's head. "Oh God, John, you make me feel so good." 

Doggett smiled as he lifted his head off Mulder's chest. "I want you to feel more than just good. I love you, Fox Mulder." 

"I never felt happier than I do when I'm with you," Mulder said. 

"Stay here. I'll get a washcloth and clean us up," Doggett said as he pulled out of his lover. 

Mulder was too exhausted to move. He turned his head and watched John's bare ass as he walked into the bathroom. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have John in his life. For once he knew what it was like to be truly in love with another person. 

Doggett returned and cleaned him up then pulled the blanket over Mulder before going back to the bathroom. He returned a couple minutes later and slid under the covers, spooning behind Mulder and resting his hand over his lover's stomach. Doggett kissed Mulder's shoulder then closed his eyes and fell asleep. 

* * *

Cody Ranch  
Monday, December 24, 2001  
10:00 a.m. 

Skinner looked out the car window at the campers and RVs filling the field on his left as he drove down the gravel road. Smoke was coming out of chimneys of the out buildings. He wondered who the people were as he pulled up in front of the main house. Mulder and John weren't expecting him. Yesterday he had decided to come here instead of joining his siblings and their families in Iowa. 

Since the X-Files department had been placed under his supervision ten years ago, Skinner found himself becoming increasingly isolated from friends and colleagues until he found that he could only trust Mulder, Doggett, and Scully. 

He parked the car and climbed out. He glanced around before walking up to the front door and ringing the doorbell. A Native American answered it. 

"Can I help you?" 

Skinner was a bit taken aback. "Ah, are Fox Mulder or John Doggett here?" 

"Mulder's in his office, John's down at the stables." The man stepped aside, allowing him to step inside. "Come in, I'm Marcus Nighthorse." 

Skinner shook his hand as he introduced himself. "A.D. Walter Skinner." He could see the family room from where he stood. It was filled with kids watching television and playing together. 

"The children are all excited about Santa Claus coming tonight," Nighthorse said as he led Skinner down the hall to Mulder's office. 

They passed the kitchen, where delicious smells of sweet spices and cookies baking made Skinner's mouth water. It had been hours since he had eaten. Skinner nodded to the women that looked up from their tasks as he passed the doorway. Nighthorse paused a little way down the hall in front of an open door and Skinner could hear Mulder's voice. 

"Thanks, Frohike." Mulder glanced over at Skinner as he stepped into the office. Mulder turned his attention back to his telephone conversation. "Merry Christmas to you, too. I'll talk to you in a few days...yeah and give my best to Byers and Langly." He hung up, walked over to Skinner, and hugged him. "Walter, this is a surprise." 

The warm greeting surprised Skinner along with the hard object pressing against his hip. "Mulder, I hope that's a gun in your pocket." 

Mulder chuckled, reaching into his pocket he pulled out a closed switchblade knife. He had placed it there to answer the telephone. 

"What are you doing with a knife?" 

"Marcus was going to teach me how to throw it." 

"Why?" 

"Guns are too noisy." 

"Mulder, what are you up to?" 

"I can't tell you that, sir. You're still F.B.I." 

Mulder turned to Nighthorse. "Marcus, it looks like I won't have time today to practice throwing the knives." 

"No problem. I'll teach you after the holidays." Nighthorse nodded goodbye to Skinner and walked out of the office on his way to the kitchen. 

"Mulder, who are those people in the field?" 

"Alien abductees." 

For some reason, Skinner thought it figured that alien abductees would find their way to Fox Mulder on a remote piece of land in southwestern Texas. Like a magnet, Mulder had the ability to draw people to him. "Mulder, why is John down at the stables? Shouldn't you be helping him?" 

Mulder realized that Skinner didn't know about John's arms being healed. "John's fine, Walter. His arms have healed. He's at the stables helping Randy with the horses. He hopes to make this a functioning cattle ranch again, if only for a cover." 

"Healed? At least that explains why I got John's _handwritten_ letter of resignation on Thursday. How was he able to heal so quickly? Did you locate Jeremiah Smith?" 

"No. John will have to explain it to you." Mulder was going to enjoy watching his lover explain being an immortal to Skinner. 

"You knew when you offered to take care of him that you'd be able to convince John to stay and help you, didn't you?" 

Mulder looked guilty. "I didn't force him to stay. Walter, we love each other." 

Skinner sighed. He had no right accusing Mulder of anything. John Doggett was a full grown man and capable of making his own decisions. "Mulder, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to accuse you of having ulterior motives. I'm just frustrated that I lost four exceptional agents in less than a year." 

"Four?" 

"You, John, Monica, and Dana." Skinner picked up the old nameplate sitting on the desk. "I'm going to put in for retirement on my fiftieth birthday in June. I hope to come here and help you expose the alien conspiracy." 

"We could use your expertise and leadership, sir." 

Skinner was appreciative of the look of relief he saw on Mulder's face, and he knew that Mulder meant those words. His former agent may be brilliant and relentless in his pursuit of justice, but Mulder never liked being in charge of other people. He was too much of a loner and a rebel. Skinner hoped that John Doggett would be able to counterbalance Mulder's need to charge headfirst into danger. 

"I should have called first...I hope you don't mind me spending the holiday with you and John." 

"I think I can speak for John, in that we're both happy to have you here. Let me help you get settled into the guestroom. Where's your luggage?" 

"In my rental out on the driveway." 

"C'mon, let's get your bags then we can go down to the stables and let John know you're here." 

Skinner followed Mulder outside. "Do you and John have much privacy with all of those kids and women in the house?" 

"They're not usually in the house. They needed another stove to cook and bake for the holidays. The bunkhouse, where most of the cooking is done, was really only meant for fifty people not over five hundred. Most of the people fend for themselves, they have stoves and barbecue grills in their RVs and campers." Mulder looked out to the field as they stopped at Skinner's car. "After the holiday, I've arranged to have fifty mobile homes moved to the ranch. We have an architect who is working up designs for some more permanent structures." 

"That is going to cost you a lot of money." Skinner unlocked the trunk and passed Mulder one of the bags. 

"Most of the abductees are contributing money toward the mobile homes. A few are donating millions of dollars toward our cause." 

"What cause? What are you hoping to accomplish here, Mulder?" 

"We're hoping to take the fight to the aliens and their collaborators here on Earth." 

"Has John agreed with this?" Skinner asked following Mulder through the house to a bedroom with an attached bathroom. 

"Sort of. He still doesn't buy that there are aliens. But he does believe that there are people at high levels in our government, military, and FBI that are up to their eyebrows in illegal activities." 

Skinner set his suitcase on the bed then took the bag from Mulder and placed it on the dresser. "Scully quit the FBI and moved to San Diego three days ago." 

"Yeah, I know, Frohike mentioned that she moved. The Gunmen have a few contacts in San Diego that will keep an eye on her and William. If they see anyone nosing around whom shouldn't be there, they're going to call me." Mulder frowned sadly. "Walter, I don't know what else I can do to protect them. With the chip in Scully's neck they're able to track her and William wherever they go. There is no place on Earth where I can hide them, even if Scully would allow me to." 

"The only way we can protect Scully and your son, Mulder, is to defeat them." 

"I know, but I feel like I'm deserting them." 

"This is beyond your control, Mulder. I don't doubt that they will kill Scully and take William if you get involved with their lives. For some reason they fear your involvement in your son's life." Skinner put a hand on Mulder's shoulder. "Don't worry, Mulder, they're safe for now, let them be. Focus on the upcoming fight." 

Mulder forced a smile. "Thanks, Walter. I really am glad that you're here." 

Skinner put an arm around Mulder's shoulders. "C'mon, let's go down to the stable. I want to say hi to John." 

* * *

Doggett stepped out of the stable on his way back to the house. He hoped to grab something to eat in the kitchen without getting in the way of the ladies baking for tonight's and tomorrow's celebrations. A smile spread across Doggett's lips as he saw Skinner and Fox walking toward him. 

"Walter! This is a pleasant surprise," Doggett said as they stopped in front of each other, he reached out and shook Skinner's hand. 

"John, I hope you don't mind my stopping by unannounced." Skinner admired how good Doggett was looking. He had a healthy tan and seemed to be more relaxed. Life out here, with Mulder, must agree with him. "I received your resignation on Thursday and wanted to talk to you in person." 

"You're not going to talk me out of it, Walter." 

"I don't intend to. I'm going to be retiring in six months. I was concerned about you losing your health insurance and was going to suggest that you wait until after your arms had healed, since you're still on medical leave. However I can see that isn't necessary. Now do you want to tell me how your arms healed so quickly?" 

Doggett looked over at Mulder who smirked at him. 'Oh yeah,' he thought, 'Mulder is going to enjoy seeing me explain this weird shit to Skinner.' 

"It's a long story, Walter. Why don't I tell you over lunch?" 

Skinner nodded. "Okay, John, I am starving." 

"I think we're going to have to grill outside, since we're not going to get anywhere near our stove," Mulder said. 

Doggett placed his hand on Mulder's lower back as they walked to the house. "We have a package of brats in the fridge we could grill those up." 

"There's also a package of hotdogs, we might as well feed the rugrats and get them out of their mothers' hair." 

"Why don't you do the grilling while I chop up an onion and a tomato to go with the brats?" 

"Don't forget the catsup and mustard for the hotdogs. I don't think the kids will want onions and tomatoes on theirs." 

Skinner threw them a look of disbelief at what he was hearing. 

"Is something wrong?" Mulder asked as he glanced at Skinner. 

"I'm just not used to seeing this domestic side of both of you." 

Doggett chuckled. "Hey, we're forty-five miles from the nearest restaurant. Either we cook for ourselves or we starve." 

They entered the house and walked into the kitchen. Skinner counted ten women all chatting, mixing, chopping, and icing. The women stopped what they were doing when they noticed Mulder, Doggett, and Skinner. 

"Don't mind us, we're just going to grab some meat and we'll be out of your way," Mulder said with a smile. 

"If we're in your way we can take a break for an hour," Rita offered. 

"No, Rita, we're going to barbecue outside. Is it all right if we throw some hotdogs on the grill for the kids?" 

"Of course it's okay! You think we'll complain that you want to cook and feed our kids?" Mary said and the other women agreed. 

Skinner helped carry plates and utensils out onto the patio. It was a bit too cold today for anyone to be using the swimming pool. However, the sixty-degree temperature felt hot to Skinner who just left twenty-degree temperatures and snow behind in D.C. 

Doggett handed Skinner a cold beer from the tray he had set down on the table then he started chopping an onion and slicing a tomato for the brats. 

The kids started coming out onto the patio as Mulder grilled the hotdogs. 

Skinner felt uncomfortable around children; he just didn't know how to talk to them. Even his nephews, he rarely saw often enough to know their interests. Skinner counted on his assistant Kimberly for advice when buying birthday and Christmas presents for them. He noted that Mulder and Doggett didn't seem to have a problem. Mulder had a natural ease around children and Doggett having been a father was comfortable joking with the boys and complimenting the girls. 

Once the kids were eating at the patio tables, Mulder put the brats on to grill. By the time they were ready the kids had finished their hotdogs and potato chips and were heading back inside to watch television. 

Skinner breathed a sigh of relief as the last child entered the house. 

Skinner sat next to Doggett at the table as Mulder served them all brats. He scooped diced onions and tomatoes on his brats along with some mustard. "Okay, John, tell me about how your arms healed so quickly?" 

"I'm an immortal." 

"An immortal? What does that mean?" 

"Ah, I can't die unless I'm beheaded." 

"I see." Skinner looked skeptically over at Mulder who was paying more attention to his bratwurst than their conversation, or so it appeared, until Skinner noticed the slight shake of his shoulders as if Mulder tried not to laugh. 

"Walter, I'm telling the truth. There are a whole race of immortals some have been alive for thousands of years." 

"John, you think believing in aliens is a crock of shit. But this story you're telling me is even more preposterous." 

A snicker escaped Mulder's lips. 

Doggett clenched his jaw as he glared at Mulder. "Laugh it up, loverboy." 

Mulder smirked. "John, you should see the look on your face. Now you know what I've felt like for nine years." 

"I've known how you felt by my fourth X-File case." 

"Walter, John is telling the truth. There is evidence of immortals in the X-Files. I just never had the time to look into those cases." 

"Okay, Mulder if you say so I'll take your word for it." 

"Whoa! You'll believe Fox but not me?" Doggett was a bit miffed. 

"Of course. Mulder spent seven years trying to convince me of the existence of aliens. He was proven right, as he has been about all of the X-Files cases he's closed. Besides, he believed in me several times when a normal man would have suspected me of betrayals of the worst kind." 

Doggett studied Skinner's face. "That's why you supported Fox and the X-Files when you could have closed it permanently and transferred him back to the VCU, isn't it? Walter, what did Fox do for you that caused you to put your career on the line for him?" 

"Ah, guys, you don't have to talk about me as if I'm not here...." Mulder protested. 

"Shut up, Fox." Doggett slipped off his shoe and moved his foot under the table until it contacted Mulder's leg then he ran it up his lover's inseam until his toes rested on Mulder's crotch, and the growing bulge nested inside the tight jeans. As he looked into Mulder's eyes he knew he'd have no more interruptions. 

Skinner sighed. "It wasn't something Mulder did, it was learning that he and Scully had stumbled onto a dark conspiracy within our government. I wanted to protect them and support them in their search for answers. It was because of my support for them that I became a target of the conspirators. Over six years ago I was accused of murdering a prostitute. I didn't know she was a prostitute at the time I went to bed with her. I didn't find out until I was brought in for questioning about her murder" 

"What happened to her?" 

"I awoke in the middle of the night and found her dead body lying beside me. I thought I might have killed her in my sleep...I just didn't know what happened. But Mulder didn't believe I did it. If it wasn't for his relentless digging for the truth I doubt I'd be a free man today. That was the first of many times he stuck by me." 

Doggett recalled hearing bits and pieces about the case. "Your wife was critically injured by the perp, he used your car to ram her car. She died in the hospital, didn't she?" 

"I was with Sharon at the hospital when she died. She was the one who told me Scully and her witness's lives were in danger." 

"So that was how you knew to be at the hotel that night," Mulder said as tried to maintain his composure under the pressure of John's toes on his groin. 

"Mulder, I couldn't tell you at the time. I was having a hard time believing what had happened. When I looked down at my wife lying in the hospital bed she opened her eyes and I was seeing that old hag from my dreams. She turned back into Sharon, and told me to go to the hotel...the she flat-lined. I left the hospital as the doctors were working on her. I knew that she was dead and they wouldn't be able to revive her." Skinner blinked back tears. 

"I'm sorry, sir. It must have been painful for you." 

Skinner met Mulder's eyes and said earnestly, "We have to beat these people! I followed you this long. I believe in you. Let's bring them down!" 

* * *

Cody Ranch  
Christmas  
4:00 a.m. 

The thrashing from his lover having a nightmare awakened Mulder from a sound sleep. He reached out and shook John. 

"John, wake up." 

Doggett's eyes flew opened and he glanced around fearfully then sighed as he eyes fell on Mulder's concerned face. "Fox." 

"You were having another nightmare. Was it about the bigfoot caves again?" 

"Yeah." Doggett lay panting and waiting for his heart to stop racing. 

Mulder placed a hand on Doggett's chest then he rolled over on his back. "C'mere, sweetheart." 

Doggett turned on his side and scooted into Mulder's arms. He rested his head on his lover's shoulder as Fox held him in a tender, secure embrace. The images and smells of that cave began to fade, replaced by the scent and warmth of his lover's body. This was something he'd never had with his wife or any of the women he'd been involved with. He was always the one who offered them the comfort and protection of his arms. 

"Merry Christmas," Mulder murmured. 

Doggett smiled against his neck then propped himself up so he looked down at Fox's face. "Merry Christmas, loverboy." He kissed Mulder on the lips. 

"Is this my Christmas gift?" Mulder asked huskily as he wiggled against John's growing erection. 

"You're easy to shop for. My ex always expected something in a velvet box." Doggett combed his fingers lovingly through Mulder's thick hair. 

"I'm not that easy, next time I expect a velvet bow around my gift," Mulder purred as he pulled John's head down and captured his lips hungrily. 

Not breaking the kiss, Doggett lowered himself on top of Mulder, until he was stretched out over the length of him. Their rock hard erections pressing together. He started slowly humping against his lover as their tongues wrestled for dominance. Their hips rocked, Mulder moaned into his mouth, and Doggett felt a sudden dampness against his belly seconds before he came. He slumped on top of Mulder who took his weight without complaint. 

After several minutes had passed, Doggett lifted his head. "So what did you get me?" he asked. 

"You mean besides my love and admiration?" 

Doggett smiled and kissed the tip of Mulder's nose. "Besides that." 

"Let me up and I'll get it." 

"Hey, I was only kidding, Fox, you didn't have to get me anything." 

"I know. I wanted to though." 

Doggett raised himself off Mulder. Their skin stuck briefly from the come on their bellies and groins. "Do you want to take a shower first?" Doggett asked as he slid out of bed. 

"Yeah." 

Doggett helped Mulder to his feet and they walked into the bathroom. 

After their shower, they shaved and brushed their teeth before returning to the bedroom to dress. Mulder reached out and took John's hand. 

"C'mon, your present is in my office." 

Mulder's office was in the room next to their bedroom. As they left the bedroom they noticed the kitchen light was on down the hall and there was the scent of freshly brewed coffee. It was only a little past five o'clock in the morning too early for anyone to be up or in the house. 

"Mm, why don't you pour us each a mug of coffee, while I get your present from my office." 

"Sure, Fox." 

Doggett walked down the hall to the kitchen as Mulder entered his office. Skinner was sitting at the counter reading a book while sipping a mug of coffee. 

"Hey, Walt, you're up early." 

"I couldn't sleep...too much on my mind." 

"What's bothering you?" he asked while pulling a couple of mugs out of the cabinet. 

"Besides work? Alex Krycek. I can't get him out of my thoughts...call it a guilty conscious." 

"You shot him to save Fox's life, what's there to feel guilty about?" 

"I did, but as he lay bleeding on the ground, he continued trying to pick up the gun with his fake hand. He was no longer an immediate threat, but he tried to talk me into shooting Mulder. Telling me some crap about a thousand lives if I shot Mulder. It made me so fucking mad that I put a bullet between his eyes. I became his judge, jury, and executioner. I hated him for what he did to me and made me do to Mulder and Scully. Still I shouldn't have pulled the trigger, its been ripping me apart ever since." 

"I doubt that you had much choice. From what I found out about Alex Krycek he was a cold-blooded killer." 

"And now so am I." 

"No you're not, Walter," Doggett said as Mulder walked into the kitchen. 

"What's wrong?" Mulder asked as he saw the looks on Skinner's and his lover's faces. 

"Walter is feeling guilty over killing Krycek." 

Mulder frowned. "Yeah, I wish Krycek's life hadn't ended that way. But, Walter, you had no other choice. If you allowed him to live he would have killed us both eventually. Alex placed his stake with the conspirators trying to defeat them from the inside. He would have killed anyone that got in his way and would have done anything to win. He wasn't much different than me in so many ways, we were both blind to everything but our need to save this planet from them." 

"Except you never gunned down an unarmed man or woman like Krycek had done," Doggett said. 

"No, but I've been responsible for people dying because of my quest." 

"Mulder, you are nothing like Krycek. He worked in the shadows while you stayed in the light." Skinner felt guilty he'd brought it up as he looked at Mulder carrying a gift-wrapped package. "Guys, I'm sorry, it's Christmas. Let's put this discussion off until another day." 

"I agree, Walter. Let's not allow the past to ruin our first Christmas together," Doggett said as he handed Mulder a mug of coffee. 

Mulder took the mug and handed Doggett the present. 

"A shirt?" Doggett guessed as he took the gift from his lover. 

Mulder only smiled and took a sip of coffee while John unwrapped the gift. 

Doggett set the box on the table and lifted the cover off it. Inside he found a manila envelop. He looked at Fox questioningly as he pulled out the papers inside. They were the title to the ranch. 

"I want you to have equal ownership of this place. You just need to sign the title where the lawyer has indicated. Then we'll have the papers filed on Thursday." 

Doggett looked over the papers in his hand. He felt a lump in his throat as he set them on the counter and pulled Mulder into his arms, hugging and kissing him. 

Mulder melted into his lover's embrace. He'd been afraid that John would reject his gift, not wanting the commitment behind it. "John, I've never loved anyone as much as I love you. I want us to be exclusive." 

Doggett heard the worry in his lover's voice. "Is this your way of asking me to marry you?" 

"Yeah, if you want to be married to me. I don't have the best track record when it comes to relationships." 

"It's because you never met the right man before now," Doggett said. He glanced over at Skinner. "Walter, I hope we're not making you uncomfortable." 

Skinner chuckled. "No. I'm rather enjoying seeing Mulder flustered and unsure of himself." 

Mulder gave Skinner the finger then walked over and sat on the stool next to him. "If I'd known you were coming I would have gotten you something, too." 

"No offense, Mulder, but your taste in gifts sometimes bordered on the weird," Skinner said with a smirk. 

"What? You didn't like the Russian strength training video I gave you for your birthday?" 

"Mulder, they were lifting weights in the nude." 

"Yeah, I know." Mulder grinned and looked across the counter at his lover. "John, you should have seen this large bald Russian on the video bench-pressing three hundred pounds. He looked a lot like our former boss." 

"That I have to see," Doggett said as he signed the title papers and put them back in the envelope. "Would potato pancakes be okay for breakfast? We're going to be kicked out of the kitchen in a couple of hours." 

"Fine with me. Let me give you a hand," Skinner said. 

"Sit down, Walter. I'm only going to add some water to this mix. Fox, do you want to get some applesauce out of the pantry?" 

Skinner sighed and sat back on the stool and watched his former agents go about preparing breakfast. As Doggett made the pancakes, Mulder cooked some sausage links in another pan. They had a natural ease together that belied their short relationship. Skinner could see the love and affection they had for each other every time one looked at the other. Mulder paused after turning the sausage links, he grabbed the coffeepot, and filled Skinner's mug. 

"Thanks, Mulder." 

Doggett in the meantime used a hot pad to take the platter of pancakes he had warming in the oven out and set it on the counter. Then he added the pancakes he had on the griddle. Next he added the sausage links to the platter while Mulder grabbed the plates, juice glasses, and silverware and carried them over to the breakfast table. Doggett carried the platter and pitcher of orange juice. 

Skinner took his place at the table and Doggett passed him the platter. "What are you two planning next?" Skinner asked as he forked several pancakes and sausages off the platter onto his plate. 

"I'm going to order some cattle. I figure that there'd be less suspicion if this place were turned into a working cattle ranch again. We could explain some of the people here as ranch hands." 

"What about the other people?" 

"Artists and craftspeople...new agers, looking to get back to the land and a simpler life," Mulder said. He looked over at Doggett and grinned. "I bet you never imagined yourself living on a commune?" 

"You can imagine this place as a new age commune, loverboy, but I'm looking at it as a well-armed militia base. We just need the weapons." 

Mulder chuckled. "Well, the commune cover will work for the outside world and the government. We'll have to hide the weapons and the magnetite." 

"Magnetite?" Skinner looked at Mulder questioningly. 

"It's an ore that is deadly to the aliens. I found a cave two hundred miles from here in New Mexico, not far from the Anasazi Pueblos, which is filled with the stuff. We're going to mine it and bring it here to the ranch." 

"What do you hope to do with it?" 

"I hope to find a way to make weapons out of it and to line the ranch with it to prevent them from infiltrating here." Mulder took a sip of his orange juice then went back to eating. 

Skinner considered what he was being told. If this magnetite could really kill them then they had a better chance of defeating the aliens and their army of replicants than he'd ever imagined they would have had. "Exactly how does this magnetite kill them?" 

"From the cave pictures we've seen, I think it affects them on a molecular level, destroying the cells in their bodies to the point that they are literally disintegrated," Mulder said. 

"Fox, we won't know that until we test it on them," Doggett said. 

"We'll test it on them once we get our base established and the people trained. We should have a name for our organization." 

Skinner finished eating. He got up and carried his plate to the sink where he rinsed it and placed it in the dishwasher. He then started washing the griddle and saut pan. 

"Walter, you're our guest you don't have to do that." 

"I don't have to but I want to. Look, guys, I want to be part of your team." 

"Really, Walter?" Mulder smirked. 

Skinner rolled his eyes as Doggett leered at him. "Not part of that team. No offense, but I prefer my lover to be able to fill a bra not a jock strap." 

There was a knock on the back door and two men walked into the house. "Great you're up! We noticed the lights were on," Ron Fletcher said. 

"Hey Ron, Martin, what's up?" Doggett asked as he stood and carried his plate to the sink. Skinner took it from him. 

"We have the initial plans done and wanted you to look at them. We've been working nearly non-stop since our last meeting. Oh, by the way, Merry Christmas!" Fletcher went on excitedly. He was holding a large leather portfolio and a folding easel. Martin was carrying a long cardboard tube. 

"Merry Christmas to you, too," Mulder said as he carried his plate and the empty platter into the kitchen. "Why don't you and Martin go into the family room? We'll be with you in a couple of minutes. I'm looking forward to seeing the plans." 

Doggett made a fresh pot of coffee while Skinner and Mulder finished doing the dishes. He carried a tray with mugs filled with steaming coffee along with a bowl of sugar and pint of cream into the family and set it on the coffee table. Ron and Martin each grabbed a mug and added some cream and sugar. 

Skinner and Mulder walked into the room. 

"Ron, Martin, this is Assistant Director Walter Skinner. He's our former boss, he will be joining our group in June." 

The three men exchanged handshakes. Then Skinner sat on the sofa next to Mulder each reached for one of the mugs on the tray. Doggett sat on the other side of Mulder, stretching an arm behind his shoulders and propped a foot up on the coffee table. 

Fletcher had the easel set up with a large sketchpad sitting on it. He sipped his coffee as he turned the tablet to the first page. 

Skinner, Mulder, and Doggett leaned forward as they looked at the illustration while Martin took out the blueprints from the tube. There were five buildings four stories high that formed a pentagon. In the center was a courtyard with swimming and wadding pools. 

"I thought we'd match the style of this adobe house. Outwardly these will appear like residential apartment buildings. Each building will have seventy-five units with a central kitchen, dining area, and recreation center," Ron said as he turned the page to a sketch of the interior. "The apartments are all studios with a large room big enough for a bed, small table and sofa, and a separate bathroom. There is space for a desk and computer but no kitchen. All the cooking will be done in the communal kitchen and dining area." 

"Why is that?" Skinner asked. 

Mulder spoke up. "We want to encourage teamwork. Everyone here is going to need to defend each other's lives. They need to learn to work together." 

"Okay that makes sense." 

Ron turned to the next page. "Now the fun part. Below the five-adobe style apartment buildings will be a structure that will go down four floors. The structure will be made of reinforced concrete. It should be able to withstand standard types of missiles. It would take a ten thousand pound bunker buster to penetrate it. The area will be accessible through a secret elevator and staircase located inside the walk in freezers in the kitchens." 

Mulder grinned as Martin laid the blueprints on the table and pointed out the well-hidden entrances to the subterranean structure. "Cool. Now all we need are shoe phones and secret agent numbers." 

Doggett chuckled. "I call dibs on Agent 99, she was always the smart one." 

"What are you two talking about?" Skinner asked. 

"Get Smart, Chief," Mulder said, doing a poor impersonation of Maxwell Smart. 

Doggett and Fletcher snorted. 

"Walter, it was an old sixties comedy. They used to have secret entrances to their headquarters," Doggett said. 

"Yeah, I remember it. What did they call their organization?" 

"Control." 

"Control? Hmm, it has possibilities." 

Mulder raised an eyebrow. "Walter, you're not seriously suggesting we name our resistance group after a made up agency from a campy sixties television show?" 

"Why not, 86?" Skinner quipped as details of the show came back to him. 

Mulder sighed. "The other spies might not take us seriously." 

"Hey, I like it," Martin said. 

"Me, too," Doggett said, "Now if I could get my hands on Max's 1965 red Sunbeam Tiger." 

"Oh great, driving around in that won't draw too much attention," Mulder grumbled. 

"Lighten up, Fox." 

Mulder pursed his lips as he frowned at his lover. "Okay, fine, whatever." 

Doggett noted that his lover's eyes were now the brightest green he'd ever seen. "What's really bothering you? Tell me, Fox." 

Mulder stood and started pacing. "The people here have chosen to take a stand to fight back against the aliens. Some are going to die in the upcoming battles. I may be flip and sarcastic at times, but I don't want them to die while under the mantle of a 1960s comedy show." 

Skinner sighed, "Mulder, you're right. This isn't something we can be joking about." 

Doggett picked up his coffee mug. "We'll find a new name for our group, one that we can be proud of." 

Mulder looked at the men in the room. "Guys, we can joke. I just don't want us to be seen as a joke." 

"Let's get back to the plans," Doggett said. "How long is it going to take to build this complex and at what cost?" 

"Mulder will have to file the plans with the county for approval, which shouldn't take more than a few days. I figure we can break ground after the New Years holiday. I can have a construction crew here with heavy earth-moving equipment by January 2. The men and women already here can be used on the construction crew. That will save us some money. The main complex should take six months to build. Martin has the heating, sewage, water, and electrical plans drawn out. We figure we could power the complex entirely with solar and wind-powered generators. In total, the complex should cost roughly twenty million dollars. This is taking into account the free labor and donated equipment." 

"With Cody's money, we're still going to need a bank loan for another five million dollars," Doggett said. 

"No you won't. I'll put up the difference." 

They all turned at the sound of a stranger's raspy voice. 

"Who are you? How did you get in here?" Doggett asked as he leaped to his feet and pulled his handgun free from its holster. The man's face was covered partly by a mask, but it was clear from where Doggett stood that the face was grotesquely deformed. 

"Mulder and Skinner know me. As for how I got here, I just drove up the road and park in front of the house and walked in. The door wasn't locked, your property isn't guarded," he said in a low raspy voice. 

Skinner looked at the man closely, but had no idea who he was. 

"Jeffrey?" Mulder asked with a hint of disbelief and horror in his voice. 

"You recognized me, Fox?" 

"I recognized your eyes. What happened to you, Jeff?" 

"My...our father did this to me. Fox, it wasn't easy to find you. Your cover is really good." 

"Mulder, he doesn't mean that CGB Spender is your father?" Skinner asked. 

"I've suspected for years that my mother had an affair with the smoking bastard, but she refused to talk about what she knew about him or my father's work and Samantha," Mulder said bitterly. "Jeff, sit down. Can I get you something to drink or to eat?" 

Doggett frowned as the man crossed the room and sat on the wingback chair near the fireplace. He wasn't sure if this man really was Mulder's half-brother or even Special Agent Jeffrey Spender who had disappeared under mysterious circumstances from the hospital after being shot in the face in X-File's basement office. For all he knew, this man could be a spy from the government or military. He might be here to harm Mulder. 

"A glass of water would be fine," Jeffrey said. 

"Do you have some ID to prove who you are?" Doggett asked. 

"I have my DNA, it's not too screwed up. My fingerprints and dental records are useless." 

Mulder walked into the kitchen and Doggett followed him. 

"Fox, you can't trust this man. Even if he is Jeffrey Spender, he was working for them. And I don't think it's a coincidence that he chose Christmas to show up here either. He's playing with your heartstrings." 

"John, after his mother and the syndicate were burned to death by the alien rebels, Jeff sacrificed his career by taking responsibility for those deaths. He convinced Kersh to give Scully and me the X-Files back. In my mind, Jeff more than apologized for his part in the consortium, and it looks like he paid and even greater price." Mulder filled a glass with water. 

"Do you believe that he's your half-brother?" 

"I don't know." Mulder carried the glass of water into the family room and handed it to Spender. 

"Besides my mother, Fox, you were their only success," Spender said as he looked into Mulder's eyes. "They tried to change me, but it didn't work." 

Mulder didn't correct Spender on using his first name instead of his preferred last name. "Scully cured me with an anti-viral." 

"No she didn't." Spender took a sip of water. Some of it dripped down his fake chin. 

"What do you mean?" 

"You're a pure hybrid. The anti-viral didn't cure you. Your body would have eventually thrown off what the morphs had done to you. They're going to want you back." 

Mulder felt a chill race up his spine. John's arm was suddenly around his waist, holding him protectively. 

Doggett saw the color drain from his lover's face. He knew Mulder was remembering the last time the aliens had him. He glared at Spender for reminding Mulder of those painful months. "Fox, don't listen to him. I won't allow them to take you from me." 

"No, John, you can't stop them. But we can defeat them." Mulder looked down at his brother. "You look tired. Do you have any bags with you?" 

"Yes. Out in my car." 

"John, can you go and get Jeff's bags? I'm going to put him in the guest bedroom next door to Walter." Mulder turned to Spender. "C'mon, Jeff, you look like you could use some sleep." 

Skinner had been sitting quietly. He got up and followed Mulder and Spender to the back bedroom. "Jeff, do you know what happened to your father?" he asked. 

"Alex Krycek killed him...pushed him down a flight of stairs in his wheelchair." 

Skinner flinched at the raw raspiness of Spender's voice. It sounded like it was painful for him to speak. "How do you know?" 

"Krycek rescued me from the scientists that did this to me. He told me that he killed my father." 

"Did Krycek take his pulse to make sure that he was dead?" Mulder asked, not believing that his greatest nemesis could truly be dead. 

"I don't know." Spender shook his head as he sat tiredly on the bed. For the first time, in a long time, he was feeling safe. Mulder would protect him. He might even be able to sleep for once without worry. 

Mulder jumped as Krycek appeared at his side. 

"I didn't take his pulse, if I had I would have put a bullet into his head." 

Mulder's heart thumped loudly in his chest as he stared at the man he once trusted as a partner then hated for his betrayal. "He's not dead?" 

"No. Take care of your brother, Fox, he's suffered far more than anyone should have to suffer," Krycek said. Then he kissed Mulder on the cheek and vanished. 

"Mulder, what's wrong?" Skinner asked. 

"Ah, nothing. I'm fine," Mulder said as his hand went to the spot on his face where Krycek had kissed him. 

"What did you mean he's not dead?" 

Mulder looked at Spender as Doggett came into the room with his meager belongings. 

"I'm sorry, Jeff, your dad isn't dead." 

"How would you know?" 

"I can't tell you just yet. I don't think you'd believe me if I did." 

"You'd be surprise by what I'd believe now," Spender rasped. 

"I'm sure I would be." Mulder smiled softly at him. "Get some sleep. I'll be in the living room if you need me." He turned and met Skinner's and Doggett's eyes, he nodded toward the door and they all walked out of the room. Mulder closed it behind him with one final look at his brother. Mulder had tears in his eyes and a lump in his throat over what had been done to the young man he'd once butted heads with over the X-Files. 

"Mulder, how do you know that the Smoker is alive?" Skinner asked as they walked into the family room. 

Ron and Martin were sitting on the sofa going over the blueprints discussing the medical facility that would be on the first level of the underground structure. Their housekeepers, Rachel and Barb, were in the kitchen along with a group of women. They were planning a big Christmas feast outside in the field where tables were being set up to accommodate the over five hundred residents. 

"Krycek told me." 

"When did he tell you?" Skinner asked. 

"While we were in the bedroom." 

Skinner's face paled then he turned angry. "Dammit, Mulder, cut the crap!" 

Doggett wrapped his arms protectively around Mulder's body from behind. "Walter, Fox sees and talks to dead people, you can believe it or not." 

"No. I can't believe that." 

"It doesn't matter, Walter. I don't expect you to believe me anymore than you did about aliens." 

"Don't do this to me, Mulder." Skinner ran a hand over his bald scalp in exasperation. 

"I'm not trying to do anything to you." Mulder sighed. "C'mon, Walter, you're on vacation, let's go into the living room, put on some Christmas music, and talk." 

Skinner nodded and followed Mulder and Doggett into the living room. Mulder turned on the radio while Doggett lit a fire in the hearth. They then sat and talked about past Christmases, successfully putting the subject of Krycek and Mulder's strange ability behind them for now. 

* * *

The sweet sound of a violin playing Silent Night filled the nighttime air. Several abductees had formed a band and were playing Christmas songs while people at the different campfires sang along as they ate. 

Spender stuck close to Mulder's side as they filled their plates from the long tables set up in the field. The sky was filled with millions stars, and there was a chill in the air. Bonfires were lit throughout the field with people sitting around them as they ate the Christmas feast. 

Spender usually avoided crowds, he felt self-conscious as if everyone was looking at him. He followed Mulder over to a small group at one of the fires as Skinner and Doggett joined people around one of the other bonfires. 

"Merry Christmas, Mrs. Jacob, Nathan, Vern, Adam," Mulder said to a woman and her three young sons. "This is my brother, Jeff." 

"What's wrong with his face?" Adam asked. 

"The people we're fighting against hurt him," Mulder said. 

"Then they should be punished," Nathan said. He was the oldest of the three at thirteen. 

"They will be." Mulder looked at Mrs. Jacob. "How is the mobile home?" 

"It's wonderful. It beats sleeping in the bunkhouse." 

"We have our own television set," Vern said. 

Mulder smiled at him then turned to Spender. "We're having another fifty mobile homes being delivered in January." 

"You're taking on a lot of responsibility." Spender looked at the boys. "How do you know that they don't already know where you are?" 

"I'm sure they do. Most of the abductees living here have chips implanted in them." 

"Then why are you doing this?" 

"Sometimes you just have to make a stand. Besides, the conspirators won't know we're organizing a resistance against them. They'll only see frightened men, women, and children that have no means to defeat or harm them, let alone defend themselves." Mulder cut a slice of ham as he spoke. "In fact they will be happy that we're all here in one place, it will make it easier for them to take us again." 

They continued to eat in silence. Mrs. Jacob and her sons finished and excused themselves leaving Mulder and Spender sitting by the fire alone. 

"What about your son?" 

"William is safe with Scully." 

"He's not fully human. They're only allowing Scully to raise him until he's old enough for them to take and train for their own purposes. He was the first successful hybrid born." 

"I suspected that he wasn't completely human. How did you know that?" 

"Alex stole all of their computer files when he rescued me. Scully's pregnancy and your abduction were among the files." 

"Fuck. It figures that Alex would have gotten his hands on that data and it explains why he didn't want Scully's baby to be born. Jeff, it's more the reason I need to defeat them." 

"There's a cure for William. It involves injecting a simple iron compounded into his brain." 

"Would this iron compound contain magnetite?" 

"Yes. How did you know?" 

"I know that magnetite can kill them. Are you sure this compound wouldn't kill William?" Mulder wasn't sure if he could trust his half-brother with William's life, not when Krycek had wanted him never to be born. 

"I have no way of knowing that it wouldn't harm him. It would be the chance you'd have to take, if you want him to be normal." 

"It's too big of a chance for me to take. Do you have the computer files?" 

"Krycek hid the files...he never told me where." 

"You know Krycek is dead." 

"Yes. I know Skinner had to shoot him." Spender picked at his food. "He wasn't all bad, Fox." 

"You were in love with him?" Mulder asked. 

"Yes." A tear fell down Spender's cheek. "He nursed me back to health after he rescued me from them. He helped me get the prosthetics I'm wearing." 

"I'm sorry, Jeff." Mulder looked across the fire at Krycek who was sitting cross-legged watching them. 

"Fox, tell him I love him, too," Krycek said as he stood and walked through the fire to stand in front of Mulder. He handed him a piece of paper then vanished. 

Spender gasped as a scrap of paper appeared out of thin air and floated into Mulder's hand. 

"Alex said that he loves you, too," Mulder said as he looked at the slip of paper it had an account number to safety deposit box at a bank in Kansas City. 

"What are you saying, Fox?" 

"I can talk with the dead. Alex has shown up twice today. He's concerned about you." 

Spender didn't even doubt that Mulder was telling him the truth. "Can you make contact with them or do they have to contact you?" 

"I've never tried to contact them. They always come to me," Mulder said softly. 

"I'm cold, Fox, I think I'll go back to the house," Spender said. He was tired and melancholy. The millions of dollars he had offered Mulder came from accounts that Krycek had left to him. He wanted to make their father pay for everything he'd done to them. 

Mulder watched him head back to the house. He was saddened by what had happened to Jeffrey at the hands of his father. The younger man never stood a chance in life; Jeffrey was as much a victim of his family's involvement in the conspiracy as much as he and Samantha had been. 

Jack Fenig and his girlfriend joined Mulder at the fire. "I hear that's your brother, Mulder," he said. 

"Yeah. Jack, would you be up for a short trip to Kansas City tomorrow?" 

"Sure. What time do you want me to pick you up?" 

"Nine o'clock would be great." 

Skinner's laughter had Mulder turning his head to look over at the bonfire where his former boss and John were sitting. Skinner was laughing at something Char Jefferson had said to him. Char had been in charge of planning the feast they were enjoying. She was a beautiful woman from New Orleans with light coffee brown skin and violet eyes. She had been the top chef at a five-star restaurant in New Orleans. John wanted to ask her to teach them how to cook, but hadn't broached the subject with her yet. Char was too important to the day-to-day life among the other members of their small community for them to selfishly claim any of her time. 

Mulder was relieved to see Skinner enjoying himself. He wanted his friend to forget his troubles while he was there with them. 

* * *

"I had a good time today," Doggett said as he sipped from a brandy snifter while he enjoyed the hot water in the whirlpool bath. 

"I noticed," Mulder replied as he removed the last of his clothes. They smelled of smoke from the bonfire. He stepped into the bathtub and sank down next to his lover. "Walter seemed to be having a good time." Mulder took a sip from John's glass. 

"Yeah, he and Char hit it off. They were still sitting around the fire when I headed back inside." Doggett stretched his arm over Mulder's shoulders and pulled him closer. "You didn't stay at the party long. Was something wrong?" 

"I got a lead on the whereabouts of some classified computer files that Alex Krycek had stolen from the facility he'd rescued Jeffrey from. I'm flying up to Kansas City with Jack tomorrow morning." 

"Fox, why don't you wait until after Walter leaves then I can go with you." 

"John, these files have information about Scully's pregnancy and William, plus my own abduction." Mulder turned in John's arms. "It's not going to take me long, I'll be back before nightfall." 

Doggett didn't like the idea of Fox going anywhere without him, but he realized that he couldn't smoother his lover by being overly protective of him. "Fox, I want you to bring Ed Toma with you." 

"Okay, John." 

"Sit up. Your hair smells like smoke I want to wash it." 

Mulder loved this tender, caring side of John. He sat up and allowed his lover to wash his hair. 

* * *

Cody Ranch  
Wednesday, December 26, 2001  
noon 

Skinner helped Doggett prepare lunch in the kitchen. Nothing fancy just split pea soup and ham sandwiches. 

Spender sat at the counter typing on his laptop. He was writing a book about his life. He really didn't expect to live much longer and wanted to have everything that had happened to him since he was a boy documented. The hardest part for him to write was the pain he went through as a test subject for what remained of the consortium. What they had done to him caused him to lose his ears along with scarring every inch of his body, worsening the damage that the bullet had done to his face. 

He remembered his father visiting him several times as he lay strapped naked on a dental chair as the chemicals burned through his bloodstream. 

It pained Spender knowing that his father was still alive. He had spent months happily thinking that the smoking bastard was burning in hell. It made him determined not to die until he knew that his bastard father was dead, no matter how much he'd welcome the comfort and peace death would bring. To no longer suffer from the pain eating away at his feeble body and to be with Alex once again. 

"Jeff, would you like to set the table?" Doggett asked. 

Spender raised his eyes from the laptop. "Sure, John," he said as he climbed off the stool. 

Skinner sliced the ham and cheese sandwiches in half and placed them on three plates as Doggett poured the soup into a tureen and carried it to the table. 

Doggett tried to keep his mind off his lover, but it was difficult, he felt like a piece of him was missing whenever they were separated. He glanced up at the clock. Fox would be at the bank by now. He dished up the soup into the soup bowls that Spender had placed on the table. 

"John, Mulder is a big boy, he'll be fine," Skinner said. 

"Fox has enemies coming out his ass." 

"Ed seemed pretty capable, he should be able to cover Mulder's back." 

"Ed was a Marine for twenty years before becoming a Chicago beat cop. He's tough as nails. I know I wouldn't want to mess with him," Doggett said. 

* * *

Kansas City 

"Did you get it, Mulder?" Ed Toma asked as Mulder came out of the bank. 

Mulder held up a couple of DVD movies one was 'Glen or Glenda' and the other was 'Plan Nine From Outer Space'. "Yeah, the consortium's top classics of all time." 

"Is that it? Are you sure you got the right safety deposit box?" 

Mulder followed Ed down the street to their rental. "Yeah. I have no doubt the data is on these DVDs. It's just like Krycek to disguise the files as a couple of B movies." Mulder couldn't wait to get home so he could study the files. He hoped the files would give them an area to focus their attacks. 

Ed got behind the wheel and started the car while Mulder climbed in the passenger side. They headed for the airport unaware that a man sitting at the bus stop across the street had watched them the whole time. 

A slow smile spread across the morph's lips at the prospect of someday getting his hands on Fox Mulder again. He climbed to his feet and headed in the direction of his ship. 

* * *

Department of Defense  
Arlington, Virginia  
Wednesday, December 26, 2001  
3:00 p.m. 

General Frank Dennison reviewed the documents provided to him by army intelligence as he puffed on a cigar. He looked up at the young man standing at attention by the door. "Master Sergeant Rohrer, I want this group left alone. If they suspect they are under surveillance they will pack up and leave the area." 

"Sir, I think we should place a man inside their group to monitor what they are up to." 

"No. Fox Mulder is no fool, he'll see through any mole we try to sneak on his property. Maybe five years ago we might have fooled him, but not now he's hardly the same nave man we dealt with back then." 

"Sir, we need to keep an eye on him and the alien abductees." 

Dennison closed the folder. "Leave them alone, these pathetic humans aren't a match for us. When the time is right we'll collect Mulder for our purposes. Until then let him think that he is safe." 

"What about the aliens? They may get to him first." 

The General leaned back in his chair and took a deep pull on the cigar. "It's the chance we'll have to take. I don't want to take him until our new secure facility is built to hold him. Now is there any news on the whereabouts of CGB Spender?" 

"No, sir, we're still searching for him." 

Dennison pounded his fist on the desk. "Find him! I want his head on a platter!" 

"Yes, sir!" Rohrer turned and left. 

* * *

Cody Ranch 

Doggett and Skinner stood behind Mulder as he put one of the DVDs into the DVD drive on the computer. Mulder opened Windows Explorer to access the files on the DVD. There were hundreds of them all marked by code numbers and dates; some of the files were dated several decades ago. Mulder started opening the ones dated from the past year until he found the one about Scully's pregnancy. He printed off two copies, handing one to Skinner, then started to turn off the computer. 

"Whoa, Fox, what about your abduction? I want to see the file on that," Doggett said. 

Mulder frowned. He wanted to put off looking at that file and had been glad he hadn't opened it while searching for Scully's file. "John, it can wait." 

"No it can't! Now get your butt out of the chair, if you're not going to look for it, I will." 

"Fine." Mulder stood and let Doggett have the computer. He carried the laser copy of Scully's pregnancy out of the office to the living room to study it in private. 

Skinner stayed in the office wanting to find out what was on the DVD about Mulder's abduction. It took Doggett twenty-minutes to find the file. It was very brief. By the first couple of paragraphs it was clear that the military wasn't involved in Mulder's abduction. They speculated why the aliens had taken him and what had been done to him and the other abductees. The report had been dated a month after Mulder's funeral, so they hadn't even known that he was still alive. They had the autopsy report from another Bellefleur abductee, plus the body of one that they were keeping in cold storage. 

Doggett frowned. This report implied that aliens, and not the military, abducted Fox. That would mean Billy Miles was not a product of their military, like Knowle Rohrer had been. 

"What's wrong, John?" 

"We're fighting two different groups. These aliens of Fox's and their human allies, and our military that started the super-soldier project as a means of protecting this planet, except it got perverted along the way. Instead of protecting this planet they want to control it." 

"So does this mean you believe Mulder and me about him being abducted by aliens?" 

"The evidence is all pointing in that direction. I still need to see one of these aliens before I can fully wrap my mind around the idea." 

"I'm sure if you stay with Mulder long enough you'll get the chance." Skinner looked back at the monitor. "So what do you think it means?" 

"It means we have our work cut out for us to separate and analyze these two groups. Who's in charge? Where are their bases of operation? What are their strengths? What are their weaknesses? Does magnetite affect the super-soldiers the same as it's suppose to affect the aliens?" 

"I wonder whose side Kersh is on?" Skinner said. 

"Does it matter? He's not on our side." 

"Point taken." 

"What does that report say about Scully's pregnancy?" Doggett asked. 

Skinner scanned through it. "When Mulder was in their hands, after he had been affected by an alien artifact, they not only performed brain surgery on him but it seems they stole his semen." He handed the prints to Doggett. "The ovum that was used came from Marita Covarrubias. Scully was impregnated when she was under CGB Spender's control." 

"Fuck." The files about Mulder's kidnapping and brain-surgery were not part of the X-Files, so Doggett never knew the whole story about what had happened to him. "Haven't they done enough to him?" 

Doggett tossed the prints on the desk and stood. "Excuse me, Walter." He hurried out the door, searching for his lover. First he looked in the bedroom and then headed down the hallway to the living room. Mulder was sitting on the sofa staring blankly at a spot on the wall. The papers were held loosely in his fingers. 

"Fox? Why didn't you tell me they performed brain surgery on you?" 

Mulder glanced up at him. "I thought you knew. It was hardly a secret," he said quietly. He had the look of someone who was in a state of shock. 

Doggett sat on the sofa next to him and wrapped his arms around Mulder's body. "God, Fox, what have they done to you?" 

Mulder collapsed in his lover's arms and cried against his shoulder. 

Doggett hugged him. He ran his fingers soothingly through his hair. "It's going to be okay, Fox. They'd have to go through me to touch you again." 

"John, how am I going to tell Scully?" 

"Let's not worry about that now. We have plenty of time to figure out how to tell her." 

The doorbell rang. 

"Who the hell could that be?" Doggett said. Most of their visitors had the tendency to walk right in. He kissed Mulder tenderly before getting to his feet to answer the door. "I'll be right back, Fox." 

When Doggett opened the front door he found Sheriff Garner standing there with his back to the door as he looked out at the people camping in the field. 

"Sheriff, can I help you?" 

"Mr. Doggett, I came for that list of names of the people staying at your ranch." 

"Legally you have no right to their names. This is private property." 

"I can get the INS out here to check if there are illegal aliens living here." 

The last thing Doggett wanted was for the federal government to get involved. "Sheriff, everyone on this property is a legal citizen of the U.S. or here legally, but you're welcome to talk to them yourself. We have nothing to hide." 

"I'll do that. Thank you for your time," Garner said as he turned and headed toward the field. 

Doggett closed the door and walked back into the living room. Mulder had pulled himself together. 

"I'm going to make dinner, do you want to help?" 

"Sure, John." 

* * *

Crystal City, Virginia  
Skinner's apartment  
Saturday, December 29, 2001  
7:00 p.m. 

Skinner carried his bags into his apartment. He was totally relaxed after spending his holiday with Mulder and Doggett. Even Mulder's claim that he had talked to Krycek's ghost hadn't thrown a damper on the rest of his visit. 

He flipped on the light switch, then closed and locked the door, before crossing the room and setting his bags down by the stairs. Skinner thought back over the last few days as he shrugged out of his jacket and hung it in the closet. It was strange seeing two of his former male agents involved in a homosexual relationship. The strangeness was balanced by the relief he felt that Mulder had someone in his life that loved and cared about him and would stand at his side in the coming fight. Skinner knew Doggett would be able to keep Mulder focused on here and now, while Mulder would challenge Doggett to see beyond his own two eyes. They balanced each other perfectly. 

Skinner pulled a paper bag out of his carryon and carried it into the kitchen. It was filled with cookies that Char had made for him. She had been the best part of the trip. Yesterday, Skinner had spent most of his time with her. He found her easy to talk to, warm, and caring, not to mention, damn good-looking. 

At least he didn't have to go back to work until Wednesday, the day after New Years. That gave him three days to look over the copy of the DVDs Mulder made for him. He hoped to find out who in the FBI was part of the conspiracy. 

* * *

San Diego  
Dana Scully's residence  
Tuesday, January 1, 2002  
Midnight 

"Happy New Years!" Bill Scully shouted then kissed his wife. 

Scully smiled at them as she sipped champagne from the crystal flute. She was still breast-feeding her baby so this was her one and only glass of champagne, which she planned on savoring. William started crying in the nursery, sighing Scully set the flute on the table and went to attend to his needs. 

The nursery was sparsely decorated. Scully didn't even hang the mobile above the crib like it had been at her apartment back in Georgetown. She hated to admit that she was beginning to fear her own baby. 

"Hey, you hungry?" she asked as she picked up the baby and checked his diaper. 

He looked up at her with big blue eyes that held more intelligence in them than was normal for a baby. Maybe she should talk to Mulder about him, she thought, as she opened her shirt and unsnapped the nursing bra. No, Scully decided, she wouldn't get Mulder involved. This was her baby and her life she didn't need his help. She'd deal with it herself. 

* * *

Cody Ranch  
Tuesday, January 1, 2002  
Midnight 

Mulder's hands caressed and kneaded John's denim-covered buttocks as they kissed. They were in their bedroom, after deciding to spend their first New Years alone together instead of joining the revelers outside. 

"Happy New Years, Fox," Doggett said as he ended the kiss and hugged his lover affectionately. 

Mulder enjoyed the warmth and strength of John's body as he returned the hug. "Happy New Years, John." 

"I have something for you." 

"You do?" 

Doggett pulled away, walking over to the dresser, he opened the drawer and dug out a small velvet box from underneath his underwear. He handed the box to Mulder. 

Mulder smoothed his thumb over the lid of the velvet box as he held it. He'd never received anything in a jewelry box before and felt completely touched by his lover's gift even without knowing what was inside the box. When Adam had given him the commitment ring, it had been the spur of the moment decision. They had been passed a street vender selling jewelry. Mulder lifted the lid and found a small lapel pin made out of a dark metal. It was in the shape of an alien head with an X over it. 

"One of the Native Americans living here is an expert metal smith, I told him what I wanted and he made it for me out of magnetite," Doggett said. 

"It's beautiful," Mulder said. He looked at John and smiled, then looked back down at the pin. 

"You wanted a name and symbol for our organization. I think just X would work for a name. It's started when you found the X-Files." 

"You want our symbol to have an alien head on it? But you still don't believe...." 

Doggett placed his fingers over Mulder's lips, silencing him. "You believe, Fox, and I believe in you. I believe in us." He leaned forward and kissed him. 

Mulder swallowed back tears of joy. "Thank you, John." 

"Clyde is going to make a pin for each person living here." 

"That's a lot of pins." 

"He has some help." 

Mulder set the box on the dresser. Then he turned back to John and started to unbutton his shirt. "Come on, sweetheart, get naked. I want to make love to you." 

Doggett smiled. "Likewise, loverboy." 

* * *

Cody Ranch  
Wednesday, May 1, 2002  
9:00 a.m. 

Mulder found an opening and thrust, poking Doggett in the chest with the tip of the rubber practice sword. He smirked at John's look of surprise; this was the first time he'd gotten a good blow inside John's defenses. 

When MacLeod and Pierson were there in January, Mulder had insisted that MacLeod teach him how to use a sword because he wanted to help John practice sword fighting. Mulder didn't want his lover to become rusty. They now worked out daily with fake swords, unlike MacLeod and Doggett training sessions with real swords. Doggett had been too worried that he might injure Mulder with a real sword, besides they figured, this way they could focus on fighting without worrying about seriously wounding each other, other than for a few bruises. 

Their daily routine over the last five months had become, sharing a cup of coffee together out on the patio before going for a ten-mile jog. Then after breakfast, they spent time training with weights and boxing, and finally they'd spend an hour practicing sword fighting before sharing a long intimate shower. Afterward, they went to help with the construction of their base's main complex. 

The building was coming along ahead of schedule. The subterranean four floors were complete, as were the first two apartment complexes. They had ordered kilns, potter-wheels, easels, looms, and other craft items for their front as a new age artists' commune. It helped that some of their members were already skilled in many different crafts and would teach the others. 

Doggett also purchased a hundred head of cattle. Their ranch hand Randy and two members from their X organization were taking care of them. The addition of the cattle won Sheriff Garner's approval, and he was leaving them alone for now. 

The sound of a truck coming down the gravel road ended their swordplay. It was the UPS man. He had been making daily visits to drop off online purchases for their group. They leaned the practice swords up against the fence, and walked up the hill from the tennis court to the driveway, meeting him at his truck. 

"You're early, Hank," Mulder said as he dabbed the sweat off his brow with them hem of his T-shirt. 

"They reorganized my route. Since most of my packages are being delivered here lately, this is now my first stop." 

"What do you have for us?" Doggett asked. 

"For Mulder I have a large package from France. There are several packages for the other people living here. I'll pile them on the porch as usual," he said as he handed Mulder a large box. 

"Fox, what did you order from France?" 

"A birthday present for you." 

"My birthday was a month ago." 

"A late birthday present." Mulder smiled. "C'mon, lets go into the house." 

Doggett was puzzled...what Mulder could have gotten him from France. "This isn't some strange sexual device?" 

Mulder licked his lips and leered at John as he set the heavy box on the dining room table. "I think you'd look pretty good in a sling with your legs spread wide open for me to enjoy." 

"If this is a sling you're going to be spending a lot of time in it, loverboy," Doggett said with a grin as he cut open the box with a pocketknife. 

Inside, wrapped in bubblewrap, was a long wooden box. Doggett pull it out and found two dark metal shields beneath it. "Magnetite?" he asked as he set the box down and pulled out one of the round shields. It weighed about twenty pounds and had leather straps to hold it on the arm. 

"Yes. Adam recommended this immortal living in France who makes swords, the man also make shields and other armaments. I figured we could use the shields when we take the fight to them." 

Doggett looked at the long polish wooden box and knew it held a sword. He set the shield down and opened the box. Inside, on top of deep purple velvet fabric was a sword in a sheath. On the handle of the sword was a silver wolf's head with blue sapphire eyes. He pulled the sword out of the sheath and admired the dark sharp blade as he weighed it in his hand. It felt perfect. "Fox, it's beautiful. Although I'm sort of disappointed that it's not a sling." 

Mulder looked at him sheepishly. "Well, my birthday is October 13th." 

Doggett sheathed the sword and set it on the table. "I've never been into bondage games, but in your case I'll make an exception." He placed his hands on Fox's hips as he leaned in and kissed him. 

Mulder closed his eyes, enjoying the feel and taste of his lover's mouth. "Mm, John, I have a confession to make." 

Doggett peppered kisses down his lover's jaw and neck, he paused only briefly to ask, "Confession?" 

"I'm afraid of being restrained, so the sling is out." 

"Let me help you get over your fears." 

"I don't know if I can get over them." 

"I'll never let anything happen to you. Trust me." 

"I trust you...right now you're the only one I trust." 

Doggett trailed his hands from Mulder's hips down to his ass as he breathed in his musky male scent. There wasn't a day that went by where they hadn't made love to each other. It surprised Doggett how easily Fox could have him hard and leaking. Fox's scent was like an aphrodisiac. A mere seductive glance from those beautiful hazel eyes made his knees weak and his heart beat faster, sending more blood to his swelling organ. 

"Bedroom," Mulder moaned as John's fingers squeezed his buttocks. His lover's face was buried in his neck, sniffing and nipping at his throat. 

"I don't think I can make it that far." Doggett's cock was painfully hard and throbbing against Mulder's hard erection. 

"God, John, I want you in me, here, now!" 

Because of the people that seemed to come and go from their home without knocking, Mulder and Doggett never had sex outside their bedroom or bathroom. Except last weekend when they went horseback riding several miles from the ranch house and camped out under the stars. Then there was Mulder's brother Jeffrey who had moved permanently into the guestroom. Since Jeffrey was out of town, Doggett decided to chance it, he knew he wouldn't make it to the bedroom. He needed to bury himself inside his lover before he exploded. "Lube?" 

"No time, use spit," Mulder said as he tugged down his sweatpants and leaned over the dining room chair with his feet spread far apart. 

Doggett pulled down his pants and underwear, unlike his lover who never wore any under his sweatpants. He spit into his hand and greased up his shaft. He wasn't worried about hurting Mulder, when his lover was this aroused there was very little resistance when penetrating him. Doggett on the other hand still found it initially painful to be penetrated, he guessed it had to do with him being an immortal. He positioned the head against Fox's small puckered anus and pushed slowly in. When he was in up to his balls he held still and admired the sight. "Have I ever mentioned what a great looking ass you have?" 

Mulder chuckled. "No." 

"You do." 

"I didn't know you were an ass man." 

"Oh yeah, I've been an admirer of fine asses for years." He slowly pulled out, until only the head was inside then thrust in. 

Mulder moaned as his lover entered him, bumping his prostate. He held onto the chair as John increased the speed and force of his thrusts. The throbbing hardness of the cock that filled him sent shivers of pleasures to his cock. 

Doggett reached under his lover and grasped his hard velvety shaft. He started jerking him off. He wanted to bring Fox off first, so he could feel those anal muscles clenching around his shaft. He kept up the strength and speed of his thrusts until he started nearing the edge and his thrusts became more erratic. Fox's cock jumped in his hand as his lover came. The pressure from his lover's anal muscles squeezing his cock pulled John over the edge and he came spurting into his lover. 

It took them several minutes to catch their breath. Doggett pulled out of Mulder, then pulled up his pants, before helping his sated lover back into his sweats. "C'mon, loverboy, let's grab a shower." 

Mulder leaned back against Doggett's chest. "God, sweetheart, what you do to me." 

Doggett smiled as he wrapped his arms around his lover. "You're one to talk." 

Mulder turned to face John and kissed him tenderly. He thoroughly enjoyed the softness of John's lips against his. Then Mulder took his hand and pulled him toward the bathroom. "Shower." 

As they walked into the bathroom, Mulder decided this was the time to tell John that he was going to have Jack fly him to Virginia tomorrow. He'd been putting it off for the past few days. 

"John, I'm meeting a contact in Virginia tomorrow." 

Doggett stopped undressing. "Who?" 

"A man who works for the DoD. He's been giving me information for years." 

"Okay, I'll go with you." 

"No. I was told to come alone." 

"Fuck that! I'm going as your backup!" 

"Nathan isn't very trusting, he might not show if he sees you." 

"Too bad. We're a team, Fox. I'm not going to stand by while you rush off into danger. How do you know this isn't a setup?" 

Mulder sighed. "It's not a setup. Nathan has provided me with classified information since 1997. You can come, but try not to look too menacing. I don't want him to be scared off." 

"Where in Virginia are we meeting him?" Doggett asked as he turned on the shower. 

"Shenandoah National Park at seven o'clock tomorrow night." 

"Should we bring the shields?" 

Mulder sighed. "John, I don't want to scare him. Besides he's not an alien so the shields will have no affect on him. Take your sword. You need to get used to wearing it wherever we go." 

Doggett frowned as he thought about wearing a trench coat in this heat. MacLeod had shown him how to conceal the sword in the folds of a long coat. He was still amazed at how the sword seemed to vanish. Even when MacLeod and Pierson sat while wearing them, they didn't show. "Okay, Fox, I'll wear it. Hand me the soap." 

Mulder passed him the soap and they went about washing each other. 

* * *

Shenandoah National Park  
Thursday, May 2, 2002  
7:00 p.m. 

The sun was still high on the horizon as Doggett followed Mulder through the forest to the rendezvous spot. They stepped off the path into a clearing. Across a field was an old abandoned log cabin. The roof looked like it had caved in decades ago. 

"Where is he?" Doggett asked. 

"He's probably behind the cabin watching us." Mulder slowed his steps as he sensed that something was wrong. He stopped a hundred feet from the cabin as his intuition sent warning signals throughout his entire being. "John, it's a trap! Let's get out of here!" 

They turned and started running back the way they had come. Their rental was parked at the bottom of the hill. Jack was waiting for them at a small airport twenty miles away. 

Mulder cried out and staggered as a tranquilizer dart hit him in the left buttock. 

Doggett stopped running and hurried back to where Mulder had collapsed on the hard ground in the tall grass. 

"Fox!" He kneeled next to his lover's unconscious body and yanked the dart free, tossing it aside. Black ops troops filled the field with their assault rifles pointed at Doggett. 

A black helicopter flew over the cabin and settled down in the field. Knowle Rohrer climbed out. His eyes fell on Doggett as he walked across the field to his side. "John, you shouldn't have come here," he said. He held a handgun in his hand aimed at the ground. 

"Rohrer, let us go. Don't hurt him." 

"Sorry, I can't do that. Unfortunately for you, my orders were to bring Fox Mulder in unharmed and to kill anyone that is with him." Rohrer raised his hand, and before Doggett could even blink, he put a bullet between his eyes. Doggett's dead body fell on top of Mulder's. 

Rohrer holstered his gun. He reached down and pulled Doggett off Mulder. "You and you." He pointed at two of the black ops men. "Get him loaded on the helicopter." 

"Yes, sir." They swung their rifles over their shoulders then bent down and picked Mulder up. 

Rohrer looked down at Doggett's body, lying in the tall weeds. It wouldn't be visible from the distance, a person would have to walk right up to it, to notice it lying there. 

"Sir, do you want us to bury him?" 

"No need. These mountains have plenty of wild animals that will take care of disposing of the body more efficiently." He turned and started back to the helicopter. Rohrer climbed on board and looked down at Mulder's unconscious body strapped on a stretcher in front of his seat. He smiled as he rested a booted foot on top of Mulder's chest. In the coming days he was going to become very familiar with the troublesome hybrid. Doggett's and Mulder's homosexual relationship interested him. He'd never fucked another man and wanted to find out what it was like, and the pretty man at his feet would provide him with that opportunity. Rohrer looked down at the field as the helicopter lifted off. He felt some regret over killing Doggett. 

* * *

Shenandoah National Park  
Thursday, May 2, 2002  
11:30 p.m. 

The sound of a coyote baying at the moon sent a chill down Jack Fenig's spine as he walked over the uneven ground in the rocky field. When Mulder and Doggett were three hours late to the airport, Jack flew his helicopter out to the spot where they were to meet with Mulder's informant. After discovering their rental still parked at the bottom of the hill, he spent the last half-hour using a flashlight to search the field by the old cabin. Jack was about to give up when he literally fell over Doggett's body. 

The impact jolted Doggett. He grunted and his eyes fluttered open. "Fuck, what hit me?" 

Fenig crawled over to him. "John, it's Jack. What happened? Where's Mulder?" 

"Oh God oh God oh God," Doggett said as he sat up and climbed quickly to his feet. Adrenaline made him instantly alert. "They took him." 

"Who took him?" 

He grabbed Fenig's shoulders and shook him. "The military! Black ops! Knowle Rohrer! We have to find out where they took him!" 

Jack stepped back at the expression on Doggett's face. His eyes had gone killer hard. The young pilot was glad he was on John's side. He'd hate to be in those men's shoes that took Mulder once John caught up with them. 

"Where do we begin to look?" Jack asked. 

"Fly me to D.C., Jack, I need to talk to A.D. Skinner." Doggett headed for the helicopter. 

* * *

Area 51  
Thursday, May 3, 2002  
1:00 a.m. 

Consciousness slowly returned to Mulder, he fought down a bout of nausea brought on by the drugs that had been used to subdue him. Mulder found himself lying on a hard concrete floor. He was bare foot and had on a short sleeve orange top with loose fitting, orange cotton pants. He'd worn similar prison clothes before. Only last time they had also provided underwear, he could feel the cold of the concrete floor, against his hip, through the thin fabric. A light above the iron door was the only illumination in the dimly lit cell. Mulder stood and looked around. His prison was a small ten-foot by ten-foot concrete room. It had no windows; in one corner was a stainless steel bucket with a roll of toilet paper next to it. 

"All the comforts of home," Mulder muttered. 

He walked over to the corner of the cell and sat down to wait. The hard floor was ice cold. He could feel its chill on his ass. The room was cold. He looked up at a small grill that was pumping cold air into the room. Mulder wrapped his arms around his legs and rested his chin on top of his knees as he shivered. At least he was still on Earth. He could deal with humans and their cruelties. It was being in the hands of the aliens again that filled him with fear. 

As he sat shivering, Alex Krycek appeared sitting beside him and enfolded him in a comforting embrace. "You're going to have to be strong, Fox. Don't let them break you." 

Mulder looked at him sadly, Krycek's presence warmed him slightly. "Why couldn't you have worked with me to stop them?" 

"I thought I had a better chance of stopping them my way. I was wrong." Krycek brushed the bangs off Mulder's forehead. "Go to sleep, you're going to need your strength. 

* * *

Crystal City  
Skinner's apartment  
Thursday, May 3, 2002  
1:00 a.m. 

The pounding on his front door awakened Skinner from a sound sleep. He fumbled for his wire-rims on the nightstand and slipped them on as he flung the covers off and turned on the bedside lamp. He stood, hurried over to the bathroom, and grabbed his robe off the hook on the back of the door. Skinner pulled it on as he headed down the stairs to see who would be waking his entire floor at this time of the night. 

He peeked through the peephole before unlocking the door and flinging it open. "John, come in, what's wrong?" 

"They took him, Walt! You have to help me find him!" 

Skinner didn't even have to ask to know Doggett meant Mulder. The desperation in his voice was heart wrenching. "Who took him? Tell me what happened?" 

"It was a trap. The fucking Black Ops were waiting for us." 

As Doggett stepped into the well-lit entryway, Skinner got a good look at him. He had dried blood caked in his hair and on his face. He didn't appear to be injured. "Did they hurt Mulder?" 

Doggett shook his head. "They used a tranquilizer dart to subdue him." 

"Where did the blood come from on your face?" 

This was the first time Doggett had to reflect on what had happened to him. He'd been too worried about Fox. His hand went up to his forehead. "Knowle Rohrer shot me." 

"John, go up to my bathroom and get cleaned up. I'm going to make some calls." 

"Walter, I'll tear apart every military installation in this fucking country to find him!" 

"Let me see if I can find out where they've taken him first. It might save us some time," Skinner said calmly. 

"Thanks, Walt," Doggett said as he started up the steps. He had an empty hole in his chest where his heart should be, and it would remain empty until he got his lover back. 

* * *

Area 51  
Thursday, May 3, 2002  
8:00 p.m. 

Mulder's stomach growled and his throat was parched. He'd been sitting in the cell for what seemed like twenty-four hours without seeing anyone. He used the bucket twice to empty his bladder and to take a dump, now the cell smelled like rest stop latrine. Krycek's spirit had come and gone several times. It seemed he wasn't able to maintain his presence on this plane for long without having to go back. 

Mulder closed his eyes and was drifting off to sleep when the cell door was flung open and four men rushed in. They grabbed him before he had time to react and dragged him out of the cell and down the hallway to a large room that was filled with medical equipment, including a huge CT scanner. Several men and women in white lab coats were busy in the room. The guards forced Mulder to sit in a chair and tied his wrists behind his back. 

A young man in his twenties of Japanese ancestry walked over to him carrying a bottle of whitish-colored liquid. "I want you to drink this," he said holding the lip of the bottle to Mulder's lips. 

Mulder turned his head away. "What is it?" 

"Nothing harmful." 

"I'm not drinking it if I don't know what it is!" Mulder growled. 

One of the guards yanked his head back by the hair and pinched his nose shut; when Mulder gasped for air another pried open his mouth and a feeding tube was forced down his throat. It burned and caused Mulder to gag and struggle. 

Tears of pain and helplessness welled up in Mulder's eyes as the doctor attached the jug to the feeding tube and emptied its contents into his belly. "You only needed one pint of the barium compound for the CT scan, but since you've resisted I'm going to give you another five pints as a lesson in obedience." 

He attached one bottle after another while resting his hand on Mulder's belly as it expanded. "We need to wait three hours for the barium to be affective then we can use the scanner. So I'm going to give you a general physical while we wait," the Doctor said as he pulled the tube out of his captive's throat. 

Mulder's bladder felt like it was going to explode and his throat was raw. "You won't get away with this!" he said angrily. 

"Remove his clothes, and strap him down on the exam table," the Doctor said. 

Mulder didn't stand a chance against the two large guards. They removed the handcuffs then roughly pulled off his clothes. Two other guards helped to lift Mulder, as he struggled, onto the fabric-covered exam table. They used leather restraints to tie him down on his back. His belly protruded obscenely as his feet were raised and placed in stirrups. The table was short, so his ass hung off the end exposing his most private parts to the room. 

Hearing someone chuckling, Mulder turned his head toward the sound. His eyes met those of a man, standing in the doorway, whose dark good looks rather reminded him of Krycek. 

The Doctor snapped on latex gloves as the man from the doorway walked over to the table and looked down at Mulder. 

"You were told to come alone. It was because of you that I was forced to put a bullet between John Doggett's eyes." Rohrer's hand caressed over the bulge of Mulder's belly, he pressed down as he spoke until Mulder was squirming in pain. "I didn't want to kill him. You're the reason he's dead." 

The Doctor shook his head and dug through a cabinet. He pulled out a short beaded metal rod. He grasped Mulder's penis and inserted the tip of the rod through the slit then forced it down Mulder's urethra. "I'd rather not take the chance that you'll urinate before the CT scan. This will prevent you from peeing until it is removed. Don't worry, I'll remove it once the CT scan is over." 

Mulder gritted his teeth against the intense pain and humiliation. He focused his mind on his lover who he knew wasn't dead. John was an immortal. He was alive and would rescue him. 

Once the rod was in place, the Doctor took a long leather cord and crisscrossed it around the shapes of the bead in Mulder's penis tying it tight. "Some of the tests we're planning for you over the months to come involves how your body and mind handle pleasure and pain. We have all sorts of fun toys for you." 

Rohrer smirked at Mulder's pale face as he ran a finger along the bound penis. "Later, we'll get better acquainted." He turned to the Doctor. "Doctor Kawai, General Dennison wants you to fax him the results of all of the hybrid's tests." 

"I'm not faxing anything. If the General wants to review the tests he'll have to come here." 

Rohrer knew better than to argue with the Doctor. Kawai had been one of the lead scientists on the supersoldier project. Everyone on the project both feared and respected Doctor Kawai. Kawai had been on the project since its earliest stages twenty years ago. In twenty years the Doctor hadn't aged, leading some to speculate that he had used the drugs and somehow gone through the operations required to transform him into a supersoldier. Only one problem with that speculation, Kawai didn't have the bump on his back below his neck that all supersoldiers had. 

After Rohrer left, Doctor Kawai gave Mulder a complete physical. He checked Mulder's blood pressure, heart, looked into his ears, and down his throat. It was the prostate exam where the Doctor turned sadistic again by intentionally rubbing Mulder's prostate until Mulder had become erect and the leather cord binding his penis became too tight. Mulder thought he would pass out from the pain. 

"You enjoy having things up your ass don't you, Mr. Mulder?" 

"Fuck off," Mulder growled. He was already suffering from a too full bladder. Maybe the aliens hadn't been that bad. 

"It's good thing that you do. We're going to need your semen for our new project. We plan to milk you several times a day. And stimulating your prostate is the easiest way to make you come." The Doctor's voice was cold, clinical. 

The color drained from Mulder's face. "Why?" 

"Other than Cassandra Spender, you're the only successful hybrid. None of our experiments have been able to create another one from a human subject. Your son William is a successful hybrid conceived by using IVF with ovum from a female immune to the alien virus and your sperm. It was implanted into Miss Scully. You're the wellspring to a new race of humans." 

For Mulder, what the Doctor was telling him only confirmed what he had already learned early. 

"If you know I'm a hybrid, why the tests?" 

"We're curious about how and why you were successfully transformed, and what new abilities being a hybrid has given you. The aliens took you without realizing how much further advanced you were than the other abductees were. They weren't able to change you into a replicant; instead they reawakened the part of your DNA that made you a hybrid. It appears that CGB Spender had not been successful in removing it from you." 

"I would have changed into a replicant if it weren't for Scully curing me with an antiviral." Mulder had this argument with Jeffrey, and in his heart, Mulder knew the antiviral had no affect on him. 

"No, she didn't." The Doctor chuckled. "The foolish woman thought that an off the shelf antiviral could cure you? It was your body that threw off what the aliens had done to you." 

Mulder wanted to find out more, but he was in too much pain to think clearly. 

"Rest now. We have an hour before the CT scan." 

"If my bladder ruptures you'll be fuck out of luck!" Mulder growled through clenched teeth. 

"It would take more than your bladder rupturing to kill you. But then you know that don't you?" Doctor Kawai gave him a knowing look. 

Mulder looked away. He knew that all too well, but how did the Doctor? 

* * *

Cody Ranch  
Thursday, May 3, 2002  
11:00 p.m. 

Doggett paced as he waited for some word about Fox's whereabouts. Skinner's sources hadn't come through for them yet. Jack had flown them back, here, to the ranch. Doggett knew that when they found where Fox was being held they'd need more than just the three of them to rescue him. 

"John, sit down. I doubt that we'll hear anything tonight," Skinner said. He was sitting on the sofa with Char keeping an eye on Doggett while waiting for any leads to Mulder's whereabouts. 

"I can't rest, until I get Fox back!" Doggett ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. 

"When we find out where he is, we're not going anywhere, until we're both rested," Skinner said, "I'm not going to get him or us killed." 

Doggett shoved his hands in the pockets of his long coat. "I'm going to see if Hanson has found out anything." He turned and headed outside. Hanson was part of their small group of computer hackers. 

How could he rest when those bastards had his lover? His stomach clenched with fears that they were torturing Fox again. He touched the hilt of the sword hidden in the folds of his coat. He should have used it on Rohrer yesterday, if he hadn't made the mistake of trying to reason with the asshole. It won't happen again. Next time Doggett saw Rohrer he was a dead man. 

* * *

Area 51  
Friday, May 4, 2002  
2:00 a.m. 

Mulder lay in the corner of the small cell in a fetus position. The cold from the concrete seeped into his bones, sending uncontrollable shivers throughout his body. His bare feet felt like blocks of ice. He needed to find a way to escape. No, first he needed to find a way to steal their computer files then escape. 

Arms wrapped around his body from behind and a warm shape molded itself against his back. Mulder sighed as his body started to warm. "Alex, where have you been?" 

"Around." 

"Around where?" 

"Here and there, will mostly there." 

"What have you been doing?" 

"This and that." 

Mulder sighed and gave up this line of questioning, besides he was tired and no longer cold. He closed his eyes and fell asleep to the feel of Krycek's phantom hand stroking his head. 

It was several hours later that the cell door opened and three men stepped into the small space. 

Knowle Rohrer walked over to where Mulder lay sleeping and kicked him in the back. "Get up, cunt!" 

Mulder groaned and came instantly awake. He sat up. 

Rohrer kicked him again. "On your feet, dammit!" 

Mulder struggled to his feet. When he gained his footing, Mulder lashed out at Rohrer, slamming him in the face with a right hook then a left to his ribs. Rohrer staggered back several feet from the blows as two burly guards rushed forward and grabbed Mulder's arms. They wrestled him to the ground then cuffed his wrists behind his back before hauling him back to his feet. 

Rohrer chuckled as he wiped at the blood dripping from his nose. "You're good, bitch," he said before backhanding Mulder across the face. "I'm going to enjoy our intimate time together." 

Mulder glared at Rohrer. Then he noticed the lab technician standing in the doorway with a cart. His knees became weak. 

"Remove my date's pants." Rohrer walked over to door and pulled the cart into the room as the guards yanked off Mulder's pants. 

The supersoldier removed a rubber tube attached to a pump from the cart. "Get him on his knees!" 

The guards forced Mulder to his knees then kicked his legs apart as Rohrer slipped the tube over his flaccid penis. "You're going to enjoy this, honey." He flipped on the pump and the tube started contracted and sucking on Mulder's shaft. 

Mulder flinched in pain. His penis was still sore from the metal rod Doctor Kawai had used on him yesterday. 

Next, Rohrer pulled a slim vibrator off the cart, and stepped behind Mulder. He yanked the handcuff wrists up, forcing Mulder's forehead down to the floor so his ass was up in the air. 

Mulder swore. "I'll kill you!" 

"Keep up the sweet talk, darling." Rohrer forced the lubed wand through the tight anal muscles and up Mulder's rectum then turned it on. He held it in place as he leaned forward and watched Mulder become erect under the double onslaught. Rohrer played with the vibrator twisting it around and watching the body under his control squirm. 

Mulder bit his lower lip not wanting to come, but not having any choice as his body betrayed him. A whimpered escaped his lips as his cock jumped in the tube spilling his seed. The vacuum sucked it into a small jar. Mulder rested his head on the floor as his orgasm drained his strength. 

Rohrer watched in fascination as Mulder's anal muscle clenched and bore down on the vibrator as the semen was forced out of him. He needed to see what those clenching muscles felt like on his cock. So he left the pump on and yanked the vibrator out. Rohrer freed his erection from his pants. He chuckled as he noticed the bulges on the fronts of the two guards' pants. It appeared he wasn't the only one turned on. He kneeled behind Mulder and placed the large of head of his cock against that small opening. "Shall we see if we can make you come again?" 

Mulder's head spun to look behind him as he felt the wide head of a penis pushing against his backside. "Don't." 

"I want to find out what John got out of fucking you," Rohrer said as he slammed into Mulder and buried himself to his balls. 

A scream ripped from Mulder's throat over the pain and violation. He swore that he'd get revenge some how. 

"Ooh, you're so fucking tight and hot," Rohrer moaned as he pumped in and out. "So much tighter than a woman's cunt." He pushed in deeper then reached under Mulder's shirt, pinched and twisted his nipples. His captive's body jumped in an attempt to get away. The abrupt movement sent pleasure to Rohrer's cock, so he pinched and twisted the nipples harder, thrilled at the movements the struggling body had on his penis. He stopped torturing his victim's nipples as he leaned back and gripped Mulder's hips. Rohrer started pounding in and out of Mulder's body. He noticed blood on his shaft but was not concerned as he aimed his thrusts for Mulder's prostate. The body beneath him stiffened and Rohrer felt the clenching of muscles around his shaft, they squeezed him so tightly that he came with a roar and fell across his victim's back. 

It took several minutes before Rohrer regained his breath and pulled out of Mulder. Pink tinged semen dripped from his victim's anus and down his thighs. One of the guards started to unzip his pants. 

"Enough!" Doctor Kawai barked. 

The guard froze then zipped himself back up. 

"Doctor, we're only having fun with our guest," Rohrer said as he tucked his limp penis inside his pants. "Besides, you have more painful tests planned for him." 

"My tests are controlled and take place in a laboratory. Master Sergeant Rohrer, if you must have anal sex with him use lubricant. Now I'll have to wait until the damage to his rectum heals before I can go ahead with some of my planned experiments." Doctor Kawai took a tube of ointment and a box of wet wipes off the cart as he spoke. He kneeled behind Mulder, cleaned him up with the wet wipes, then he applied the ointment to his torn rectum. The Doctor was glad as he examined Mulder that the damage wasn't as bad as he had feared. 

"Has he been fed yet?" Kawai asked. 

"No, sir. Under your orders, we're only feeding him once a day at noon," one of the guards said. 

"See that he is only given protein shakes for the next three days. It will give him time to heal." 

Mulder kept his eyes closed. He held perfectly still as one of the guards freed his wrists. After his arms were free, he crawled into the corner and huddle there in shock and pain. 

* * *

Cody Ranch  
Monday, May 6, 2002  
11:00 a.m. 

MacLeod parked the truck behind another car in the driveway. "Wake up, Methos, we're here." 

Methos opened an eye and peered out the window. "Maybe we should have called and told them we were coming." 

"We told them we'd be back in May," MacLeod said. He opened the truck's door and climbed out into the sunny Texas morning. 

"It looks like they have guests," Methos said as he noticed the other cars in the driveway. 

"They have over six hundred guests living here," MacLeod said as he glanced toward the distant field where the large complex glowed in the bright sunlight. "Don't worry, Methos, Mulder won't let John take your head." 

Methos rolled his eyes as his attention fixed on the complex that was under construction. Equipment sat unused. "Is it a Holiday?" 

"No why?" 

"No one is working at the construction site." Methos grabbed his bag from the back of the truck. 

"It's close to lunchtime, maybe they decided to break early." 

They both felt the strong buzz of another immortal nearby. MacLeod and Methos exchanged glances and drew their swords. A minute later Doggett stepped out the front door followed by a bald man. 

Seeing two armed men, Skinner pulled his gun. 

"Walter, these are friends," Doggett said, "Well, at least one of them is." 

"John, what happened? Your buzz is that of a full immortal," MacLeod asked as he sheathed his sword. 

"They've taken, Fox." 

Methos walked over to Doggett, grasped his shoulders, and shook him. "Who did? When? What happened?" 

"The military...five days ago." 

"What are you doing here, man? Why aren't you out there rescuing him?" 

"Adam, stop it," MacLeod said as he noticed the dark bags under John's eyes and his unshaven face. "You look like hell, John. Let's go inside and you can tell us what happened." 

Skinner watched as MacLeod placed his hand on John's arm and guided him back into the house. He turned to Methos who started to follow them. "I'm Walter Skinner. Would you mind telling me who you and your friend are?" 

"I'm Fox's ex, Adam Pierson, and my friend is Duncan MacLeod of the clan MacLeod. He's your typical busybody and all around good guy. He's also my best friend, and on again off again lover, so I put up with his more irritating traits," Methos said glibly. "Now do you want to fill me in on what's going on here?" 

"Mulder's ex?" 

Methos could see that his attempted glibness had no affect on Skinner. "We were lovers...we lived together for two years, so you can see why I'm concerned for Fox's wellbeing. Now tell me what happened?" 

Skinner would talk to Doggett about these two men later. "Like John said, Mulder was kidnapped by a rogue group within our military. We've been trying to get information on where they've taken him, but so far none of my contacts have come through." 

"Have you been doing anything besides waiting for your contacts to come through?" Methos asked irritated. 

"We're attempting to monitor the military's databases, communications, and installations. It hasn't been easy, we're a small group, and our computer equipment isn't fully installed. Fortunately we have friends back East that are helping in the search." 

"It seems you're doing all you can. When you locate Fox, Mac and I will be going with you to rescue him." 

Skinner looked at the young man. "Do you have any military training? I don't want you along if you're unable to pull your weight." 

Methos smirked. "Don't worry I have quite a bit of military training. Let's just find Fox." 

* * *

Area 51  
Tuesday, May 7, 2002  
3:00 a.m. 

They had left Mulder alone on Saturday, but resumed the tests and semen collection on Sunday. He hadn't seen Rohrer since the supersoldier had raped him. Mulder's stomach was agonizingly empty. Kawai had explained that they wanted all of his senses heightened and near starvation was part of that effort. At least his empty belly took his mind off the cold of the cell and hard stone floor that was his bed. Mulder rolled on his side and closed his eyes, what he wouldn't give for a pillow. 

"Miss me?" Krycek spooned behind him and Mulder felt instantly warm. 

"Alex, why won't she let me die?" 

"She needs you here." 

"I don't know if I'm strong enough." 

"Fox, you have someone on this plane who loves and cares for you. Be strong for him, lean on him for strength." 

"I don't know if I can survive this time." Mulder's body shook as he wept silently. He missed John, and hated himself for being so weak that he wanted death when he should be thinking about how his death would affect his lover. 

"Be strong," Krycek said before he vanished. 

Mulder cried himself to sleep as the chill returned to his body. 

* * *

Cody Ranch  
Tuesday, May 7, 2002  
4:00 a.m. 

The telephone rang on the nightstand, pulling Doggett from a light doze. He was lying on top of the covers still fully clothed. 

He grabbed the receiver off the cradle. "Doggett." 

"Area 51. He's being held underground in a new complex on the southeastern section. I've emailed you additional information on the area and the complex along with some satellite photographs." 

"Thanks," Doggett said. He waited until he heard the click on the other end as Frohike hung up before he set the receiver back on the cradle. His heart thumped excitedly as he hurried into the office next to the bedroom and turned on the computer. As it was booting up he went to wake Skinner. 

Doggett rushed down the hallway then pounded on the door. "Walter, wake up! The boys have a lead on where Fox is being held!" 

He heard the bed squeak and talking. Then Skinner opened the door. He caught a glimpse of Char still in bed. 

"Where is he?" Skinner asked as he stepped into the hallway and closed the bedroom door. 

"Area 51," Doggett said as two other doors opened and Jeffrey stepped into the hallway from one, and MacLeod and Pierson stepped out from the other one. 

"Damn. That's the most secure area in the United States," Skinner said. "There's no public information about how many complexes and personnel are on the land." 

"The Gunmen have emailed some files. Walter, I want you to help me study them and plan how we can infiltrate the facility and rescue Fox." 

MacLeod cleared his throat. "John, may I suggest that you allow Adam to study the documents with you. He's an expert tactician." 

Doggett met Pierson's eyes. They were filled with determination, and Doggett knew Pierson wouldn't take no for an answer. According to Fox, Pierson was five thousand years old, which John doubted, but even if he was a tenth of that age he knew a thing or two about staying alive. For Fox, Doggett was willing to swallow his pride. "Adam, I'd appreciate your help." 

"Thank you, John. Fox needs all of us now, let's set our differences aside." 

The bedroom door opened and Char stepped out fully dressed. "Why don't you, boys, get busy. I'll make coffee and breakfast. You're going to need your strength." 

"Thanks, Char. I'll just have coffee," Doggett said as he and the others started toward the office. 

Char called out to him. "You'll eat breakfast, John Jay. You haven't eaten enough to keep a bird alive since Fox was taken." 

Skinner looked back at her with love in his eyes and smiled. "He'll eat, Char, and make it a large breakfast." 

In the office, Doggett opened the email program and waited while the emails downloaded over the DSL line. The others excused themselves and went to dress while Doggett printed out copies of all the files. 

Pierson arrived back first and took the printouts from John. He sat on the sofa and laid the papers out on the coffee table to study them. 

Spender came into the office carrying a tray laden with coffee mugs and a thermal carafe; he placed it on a paper-free area of the coffee table. Doggett poured himself a mug of coffee and sat back at the desk studying the satellite photos on the monitor. 

They spent the next six hours planning, arguing, and discussing how to rescue Mulder, breaking only for breakfast. Pierson felt a smaller group would be their best bet, instead of the larger force Doggett wanted. 

"I want that place leveled!" Doggett said. "If just the four of us go in, there won't be time to plant explosives." 

"John, our main goal is to get Fox out of there alive. They'd be less likely to detect four men," Pierson argued. 

"If we don't destroy them when we have the chance, they'll just abduct him again." 

"It's going to take more then just blowing up one facility to stop them," Skinner said. 

"It's a start. I want them to realize that there is a large price to be paid for touching Fox." 

"It wouldn't take much to destroy that facility. I have access to some C-4 and some even more powerful explosives. If I place the devices at the primary building supports I could bring the whole thing down," Spender said. 

"Since when did you become an expert at explosives?" Skinner asked. 

"Since Krycek rescued me, I've spent my time learning how to make bombs, among other things. I planned to get back at them for what they did to my mom and me, and what they did to Samantha and Fox. Now that I know my father is still alive, I'm more determined than ever to make them pay. So, while you, John, Adam, and Mac rescue Fox, I'll plant the explosives." 

Skinner shook his head. "No. I'll help you with the explosives while John, Mac, and Adam rescue Mulder. Does this meet with everyone's approval?" 

"It meets with mine, Walt," Doggett said. 

"Ours too," Pierson and MacLeod echoed. 

"How long will it take to get the explosives?" Doggett asked. 

"Ah, ten minutes," Spender said cautiously, "Fox has allowed me to store the explosives in the secret room off the wine cellar. The detonators are stored separately in my room." 

Doggett had been in the wine cellar many times and wasn't aware of a secret room. He wondered why Fox never told him about it. "Show me." 

"Um, okay." 

Doggett followed Spender down to the cellar. They stopped at the last wine rack that was up against a wall. Spender pressed on one of the bricks next to it and Doggett heard a click as the heavy wine rack swung free. What he found inside surprised Doggett. Over the walls were photographs and magazine clippings of his lover. "What is this?" 

"William Cody was infatuated with Fox. I guess to the point that he set up a shrine to him," Spender said. 

"Why didn't Fox take these down?" 

Spender shrugged. "William Cody's ghost asked him not to." 

"Oh great." Doggett walked over to one of the crates and opened the lid, it was filled with plastic explosives...powerful stuff. "Well let's get what you're going to need carried upstairs." 

* * *

Area 51  
Tuesday, May 7, 2002  
2:00 p.m. 

Mulder was strapped to a chair in a sealed chamber. On the floor by his bare feet sat a covered metal cylinder. 

Doctor Kawai looked through the window at his pale face. "The container at your feet contains the black oil. I want to test how your body responds to it. You're supposed to have developed antibodies to prevent it from entering you." As the Doctor talked, he manipulated the controls on the robotic arm, grasped the lid of the container, and lifted it up. 

The black oil flowed out of the container and pooled around Mulder's feet trying to enter him. It recoiled and its color changed to a bright green as steam rose off its surface. It stopped moving. 

The Doctor had never seen anything like this before. He poked at it with the robotic arm and checked the dial. The air quality inside the chamber was at a dangerous level, as the alien virus filled the small room. 

Mulder sat calmly looking at him with eyes filled with hatred. 

Kawai waited until the readings were back to normal, then he ordered the guards to take Mulder back to his cell. 

Rohrer walked into the room after Mulder had gone. "What do you have planned for him next?" 

"I want to start testing his psychic abilities...see if he can move objects with his mind, or if he has the ability to heal and morph. I believe a lot of his abilities might be suppressed and I want to try and tap them." 

"To what end?" 

"To what end? Master Sergeant Rohrer, you and your brothers and sisters from the supersoldier project are only superior to humans in endurance and indestructibility. Fox Mulder is a hybrid and lock inside of him, he should have the abilities to heal others with a touch, to morph, telekinesis, and telepathy. I just need to force him to start using those abilities." The Doctor pulled on his coat as they talked. "I'm going home. I'll be back around four in the morning...don't hurt him too badly tonight." 

Rohrer pulled out a tube of KY. "I plan to be real gentle with him." 

* * *

Area 51  
Tuesday, May 7, 2002  
2:00 a.m. 

Sneaking onto the most protected piece of land in all of North America had proved to be no easy feat for the five men, two of whom were carrying shields. 

Skinner wore the shield on his left arm. He hadn't wanted to carry it, but John had insisted, telling Skinner that once they rescued Mulder he could give the shield to him. It didn't help that Pierson had taken to calling him Captain America. The A.D. could see where Mulder had acquired his sarcastic humor. Two years of living with Pierson was bound to rub off on him. 

MacLeod on the other hand, Skinner had liked immediately. Here was a man who took his responsibilities and honor seriously. Unlike his companion who seemed to look at things with a half-mocking smirk on his face. 

Their people back at the Cody ranch had used their computers to attack the main power grid for the area in and around Area 51. They didn't completely black out all of Area 51. The place had its own auxiliary power station, but they took down enough of the main lines that Skinner and his team had no trouble sneaking undetected onto the restricted area. It would be several hours before the military would be able to determine that the power outage had been caused deliberately. Therefore, that didn't give them much time. One of the obstacles they had to transverse was a minefield. A minefield on U.S. territory was against the law of the U.S., but since no one except the President, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the National Security Counsel knew about what took place in Area 51 the public was none the wiser. 

Doggett and MacLeod used mine detectors sweeping over the ground as they made their way carefully across the field in two groups. Skinner followed behind Doggett, he wore a backpack with the detonators inside. Spender followed behind MacLeod with Pierson taking up the rear. Spender had the explosives in his backpack and carried the second shield. They had pinpointed three areas in the building to plant the explosives. Once they had Mulder free they would detonate the explosives by remote control. 

* * *

Rohrer entered the cell and awakened Mulder who scooted fearfully back into the corner and huddled in defiance. 

"I really enjoyed us making love the other day, but I think we got off on the wrong foot so I plan to make it up to you." 

"You raped me." 

"Tomatoes tamatoes." Rohrer closed the cell door behind him. "I enjoyed fucking you and look forward to doing it again. You can spread your legs willingly or unwillingly, it doesn't matter to me, whichever you prefer. On the other hand, the wrong choice will prove to be very painful to you." To emphasize Rohrer pulled out a stun gun and squeezed the trigger blue light cracked between the connectors. 

Mulder closed his eyes and prayed for strength. 

* * *

The sentries were easily disposed of with one clean shot to the head. Skinner hated killing them, but they had no choice. Everyone working here would be deeply in the conspiracy; there were no gray areas, only black and white. 

Once inside the building they split up. They'd meet back at the minefield in an hour. Skinner and Spender encountered their first supersoldier as they were planting the explosives on the lowest level of the building. They discovered he was a supersoldier when Spender raised the shield defensively as Skinner took aim with his handgun. The shield had an immediate affect on the man, he started shaking uncontrollably then his whole body started to dissolve until it disintegrated completely and was pulled into the shield. The force of the impact knocked Spender off his feet. 

"Are you all right?" Skinner asked shaken. 

"Fine. Let's get on with it." 

Skinner stood guard as Spender went about setting the explosives. 

On the floor above them laid the bodies of several men and a couple of women that had gotten in the way of Doggett reaching Mulder. Not all were armed, but Doggett couldn't chance that one might sound the alert. To Doggett's surprise he felt no remorse in killing them, these people were responsible for not only abducting his lover, but for Jeffrey's disfigurement and scores of other crimes against humanity. MacLeod expression grew grimmer with each life they took. He made it clear that he didn't like killing, but knew, in this instance, there was no other choice. 

A piercing scream filled with pain froze them in their tracks. 

"That's Fox!" Doggett hissed and started to run in the direction of the scream. 

He turned the corner and startled two guards standing outside a closed iron door. He swiftly decapitated one then ran the other through with his sword. The one he ran through started shaking and his body imploded inward around the sword. Only a fine powder remained clinging to the blade along with the Guard's shirt. Doggett tilted the blade down and the shirt slid off joining the rest of the Guard's empty garments on the floor. 

Doggett and the others didn't have time to contemplate the supersoldier's death as Mulder's screams grew more anguished. Doggett opened the cell door and rushed inside. "Get off him, Rohrer!" 

Rohrer turned at the sound of Doggett's voice. He'd been about to use the stun gun on Mulder's genitals, he had enjoyed how with each jolt of the gun against Mulder's tender flesh had made every muscle in his victim's body tighten and tremble, giving his buried shaft an immense amount of pleasure. "You're alive?" 

"And you're dead!" Doggett growled as he watched Rohrer pull out of his lover's body. Mulder curled in a ball not acknowledging his presence. 

Rohrer chuckled. "You can't kill me." 

Pierson entered the cell and hurried over to Mulder while Doggett touched Rohrer with the tip of the sword. The skin around the area the blade touched started dissolving. Rohrer expression turned to one of fear. 

"Oh yes I can," Doggett said as he made a downward slice and removed the man's penis. 

Rohrer screamed in pain as he stared down at where his manhood had been. 

Doggett ended his screams by ramming the blade through his heart. He watched with satisfaction as the supersoldier died in the same manner as the other one had died moments before. He sheathed his sword and hurried over to his lover. Pierson was helping Mulder dress in the clothes from the dead Guard. 

Mulder looked at John with relief and embarrassment. "I couldn't stop him from touching me." 

"It's not your fault." Doggett pulled him into his arms and hugged him. Mulder's whole body was trembling violently. John held him tighter until the trembles eased somewhat. "God, Fox, I love you so much. Let's get you home." 

"John, I feel so dirty," Mulder whispered as John helped him out of the cell. He was having a hard time walking, so John supported him with one arm wrapped around his back. 

"You're not dirty." Doggett wished he could have killed Rohrer more slowly. 

They encountered no other living being on their way out. When they stepped out of the building, it was four o'clock in the morning. As they made their way across the parking lot all three immortals froze as they each felt the buzz of another immortal nearby. 

Doctor Kawai winced at the uncomfortable buzz in his head from multiple immortals. He looked across the parking lot and met Fox Mulder's eyes. The hybrid was in the company of three immortals. Kawai recognized Duncan MacLeod. The other two immortals were unfamiliar to him. 

"John, that's the man who's in charge of this project," Mulder said. 

Doggett drew his sword. Kawai quickly climbed back behind the wheel of his car, he had the engine started before Doggett could make it halfway across the lot. Doggett broke into a run as Kawai stepped on the gas pedal and floored it, the tires spun as the car sped away. Doggett swore as he watched the car race away. 

Skinner and Spender had made it out of the building during the Doctor's escape. 

"C'mon, let's get out of here before he alerts the authorities," Pierson said. 

All six men jogged back the way they had come. When they made it through the minefield, Spender paused at the fence and pulled out the remote control. 

"Fox, would you like to do the honors?" Spender said as he handed Mulder the remote. 

Mulder looked at him questioningly then back at the building in the distance. Only one story was above ground. He pressed the button, there was a loud rumble and ground shook then the single story disappeared into a giant hole. "I don't think that will go by unnoticed," Mulder said blandly as he handed Jeffrey the remote back. 

"Then we better get going." Doggett helped Mulder through the hole in the fence. He stayed close to his side as they sprinted across the rocky terrain as the sound of helicopters could be heard in the distance. They had planned this out in advanced. Behind a set of boulders were hidden five off road motorcycles. They planned to head inland instead of hitting the main highway, which would have roadblocks set up by the military as soon as word of their attack became known. 

Mulder groaned as he straddled the seat behind Doggett. 

"Are you okay, Fox?" 

"I'll be fine, just concentrate on getting us out of here," Mulder said as he wrapped his arms around his lover's waist. 

The moon was full so they drove without their headlights. After two hours they reached the halfway point and stopped. MacLeod swung off his bike and walked back to where Mulder and Doggett sat. 

"John, I recognized the immortal. Akio Kawai is extremely dangerous. He was once a Japanese Warlord, and during World War II he was the lead scientist on a project that experimented upon POWs." 

"How old is he?" Doggett asked. 

"I have no idea. He's at least one hundred and thirty years old." MacLeod looked into Mulder's eyes. "Is it safe for us to return to your ranch?" 

"It should be. The U.S. military will try to cover up this incident as an accident. They wouldn't take the chance of having the truth come out. Not after the press had publicized so much about my life, it would be too big of a risk for them." 

"Fox, your freedom is still at risk," Pierson said. 

"Adam, everyone's freedom is at risk if we don't stop them. I'll just have to be more careful next time." 

"You can say that again, loverboy," Doggett said as he glanced back fondly at his lover. 

Skinner smiled tiredly. He had the shield strapped across his back. He had decided to keep it. "It's time we split up. Jeffrey and I will meet you back at the ranch." He gunned the motorcycle and headed off in the southeast direction with Spender following him. 

Pierson climbed back on his bike and looked back at Mulder. "Fox, you had us all nuts with worry. I hope you can appreciate how much we all love and care about you." 

"Thanks, Adam, Mac," Mulder said. 

Doggett smiled at Pierson then turned his head and kissed Fox softly. "He's right, Fox, everyone at the ranch was worried about you. They all would have risked their lives for you if asked." 

Mulder felt humbled. In his life, he never had so many people that cared about him enough to risk their lives. 

"We'll see you back there," MacLeod said as he and Pierson headed northwest on their bikes. 

Mulder had a warm feeling in his empty belly as he hugged his lover from behind and rested his chin on his shoulder. "Which direction are we going in?" 

"Southwest." 

"Do you think we can find a fast food restaurant? I'm starving." 

"Yeah, the first one we come to I'll pull in. I'm rather hungry myself." Doggett felt torn, he was overjoyed to have Fox back, but angry that he missed killing the Doctor that had hurt his lover. This Akio Kawai was not going to get away with what he had done to Fox or the crimes he had committed in the past. However, right now, Fox came first. 

* * *

The Oasis Motel   
Flagstaff, Arizona  
Tuesday, May 7, 2002  
9:00 p.m. 

It had taken them all day and into the evening to make it into Arizona. They didn't dare contact Jack to fly them home, so they had another long day of riding ahead of them to make it across Arizona, New Mexico and into southwestern Texas. At least they would beat MacLeod and Pierson back to the ranch. The two immortals would be traveling around through Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, before arriving back in Texas. 

Mulder limped into the motel room. He was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt that Doggett had stored for him on the motorcycle. The Guard's uniform had long since been disposed of in a roadside restroom. 

Doggett set a large fast food bag on the table. They had eaten once since he had rescued Fox nineteen hours ago, not enough to stave off the hunger they both felt physically and emotionally. So Doggett had stopped at a popular take out barbecue restaurant and purchased them a feast. 

"Fox, let's eat while the food is still hot." 

Mulder wanted to spend the next few hours soaking in a hot bathtub to get the feel and smell of Rohrer off his body. Instead he gave into his lover's need to eat as his own stomach rumbled hungrily. "Okay, John. Just let me wash my hands first." 

Doggett removed the items from the bag. He took off the plastic lids covering the two rectangular plastic trays, filled with baby back ribs, ranch fries, corn on the cob, cornbread, and coleslaw. 

Mulder came out of the bathroom and sat at the table. 

Doggett watched as his lover dug into the meal hungrily barely lifting his head for air. He opened a bottle of iced tea and placed it in front of Fox. 

"What?" Mulder asked when he noticed John wasn't eating, but was watching him intently. 

"I'm just happy to have you back. Outside of my son's kidnapping and murder, these past five days have been the hardest for me to live through." 

Mulder set the rib down. "John, I was scared that I wouldn't be able to survive with my sanity this time. I wanted so badly to die, but Krycek reminded me that I had you to live for. Our love was the only thing that kept me sane and determined to survive." 

Doggett leaned over and kissed Fox softly. He tasted the sweet spicy flavor of the barbecue sauce. "Let's finish eating so I can give you a bath and pamper you for once." 

They continued their meal in silence. Doggett's appetite was back full force. He practically inhaled the food and ended up finishing before Fox. He opened one of the packets of wet-wipes and cleaned the sticky sauce off his fingers. Then he put the empty food containers back in the paper bag as Fox finished his meal and guzzled the iced tea. 

Doggett walked into the bathroom and started the bathtub filling. He had caught glimpses of dark purple bruises on his lover's body and wanted to check him over for other injuries. 

Mulder wandered into the bathroom. "It's not necessary that you give me a bath, I'm quite capable of taking one myself." 

Doggett walked over to him and caressed the side of his face. "Get undressed, loverboy, I want to check you over." 

"John--" 

Doggett just stood with his arms crossed stubbornly. 

Mulder sighed and started to undress. He hadn't wanted his lover to see how badly he'd been treated over the last several days. He realized that it was unavoidable. 

A frown crossed Doggett's features as he saw the deep purple bruises on Fox's side, legs, buttocks, and the needle marks on his arms. On his hips were marks that were clearly made by fingers. Anger rose in Doggett and he wanted to rip someone's head off. 

Mulder noticed the look on his lover's face. "John, I'm going to be all right. I've been hurt worse." 

"You were raped. I want you to get counseling." 

Mulder stepped into the bathtub. "I'll work my way through it on my own. I am a trained psychologist after all." 

"Tell me what they did to you." Doggett kneeled beside the bathtub as Mulder sank up to his lower chest in the hot water. 

"I'm a hybrid...they wanted to find out what made me tick and to collect my sperm to create a whole new race of hybrids like William. Doctor Kawai also wanted to see if he could tap some powers that he claimed I should have. I'm not sure if I have them or not. The one time I was able to hear other people's thoughts in my head, it nearly drove me insane. John, I don't know if it's whether I've been blocking these abilities or just don't have them." 

Doggett picked up the washcloth and bar of soap. "I'm glad you don't have the ability to read minds. A man has to have some privacy from his lover." He started washing Mulder's chest. "Maybe we should get Chuck Burks down here to run some of these tests to see if you do have any of these powers." 

"John, I don't believe you just suggested that. Are you feeling well?" 

"Hey, I'm not totally close-minded, after all I believe that my weird lover talks to dead people." 

Mulder smiled as he closed his eyes and leaned back, sinking up to his neck in the water. He was already feeling better. "Okay. We'll contact Chuck when we get home." 

After his bath, Mulder shaved and brushed his teeth while John took a shower. He pulled on a clean pair of boxers and walked back into the bedroom where he crawled under the covers. A smile spread across his lips as he rested his head on a soft pillow while he enjoyed the pleasure of sleeping on a soft mattress and being in a warm room. He started drifting off to sleep when the mattress sank and John spooned behind him. No matter how much comfort he'd received from Krycek's presence over the past five days, it came nowhere near the comfort and security he felt from having John's arms around his body. 

* * *

The Cody Ranch  
Wednesday, June 5, 2002  
2:00 p.m. 

Mulder sat outside on the patio typing on his laptop. A month had past since his lover and friends had freed him from the Area 51 research facility. It was a month of trying to recover some sense of security and peace of mind. John had been right about one thing; he needed to see a rape counselor. Mulder had thought he could put what had happened to him out of his mind, but he found himself shrinking away from John's intimate touches. Admitting he needed professional help had been one of the hardest things he had done in his life. So now he found himself seeing a psychologist two times a week to work through his problems. At least they found one who made house calls. Mulder didn't think he was ready to leave the safety of the ranch just yet. 

At least, as he predicted, the military covered up the incident at Area 51 as an unfortunate accident. Adam and Mac had gone back to Seacouver once they concluded that there was no immediate threat to Mulder. 

Yesterday, John had gone to Washington D.C. to wrap up the sale of his home. Then he was going to help Skinner load up a rental truck with both his and Skinner's belongings that they wanted to take with them to Texas. The Salvation Army was getting the rest of their possessions. Skinner had turned down their offer to live in the ranch house with them instead he was going to stay in one of the new apartments in the main complex with Char. The two had become very close and were even talking about getting married. 

Mulder glanced toward the pool as his friend climb out, walked over to a lounge chair, and picked up a towel. 

"I could get used to this life," Doctor Burks said as he dried himself off then sat on the chair next to Mulder. 

Mulder smiled. "Yeah, it's pretty nice here." 

Burks had been at the ranch for three days and considered it a working vacation. The University he taught at was on summer break. "I have a new line of tests set up...anytime you're ready." 

Mulder shutdown the laptop and stood. "No time like the present." 

Yesterday they spent hours with Mulder successfully guessing the pictures that were on cards. They were able to tap some minor psychic abilities, but not the abilities that Doctor Kawai had claimed he should have. 

"What am I thinking?" Burks asked. 

"I have no idea." 

"You're not trying." 

"I am, too." 

"Maybe we should start with some transcendental meditation. You need to get in touch with your inner self." 

Mulder made a face. "Meditation, Chuck?" 

"It's a good for your body and mind. I've been doing it for years." 

"Okay, I'll give it a try as long as this meditation crap doesn't mean I'll have to start eating sprouts." 

"Well, Fox, you could stand to eat a bit healthier." 

* * *

Arlington, Virginia  
Wednesday, June 5, 2002  
10:00 p.m. 

Doctor Kawai walked out on the veranda of his two-acre estate. He didn't stay there often; his job required him to travel to different parts of the country and world. Millions of stars filled the nighttime sky. It was a beautiful clear evening. Similar to the night he encountered his first UFO seventy years ago. He had become obsessed with learning everything he could about where and what the object was he had witnessed hovering silently over the waters off his homeland. 

What he had discovered over the decades had filled him with fear. Not only were these aliens dangerous to humans but they were deadly to immortals. He'd witnessed the black oil take over the body of an immortal friend. It sucked the life energy right out of him. 

Kawai froze as the buzz from another immortal filled his head. He scanned the area around him and watched as a man in a long coat emerged from a grove of trees and walked across the lawn. The man stopped ten feet from Kawai and drew his sword. The Doctor recognized him as one of the immortals that had rescued Mulder. It puzzled him why other immortals would be interested in the hybrid. 

"What interest do you have in Fox Mulder?" he asked. 

"He's my partner and best friend," Doggett said. 

"So you come here seeking revenge?" 

"I come here seeking your head." Doggett took a fighting stance. "There can be only one." 

Kawai drew his sword and stepped off the veranda onto the lawn. 

They circled each other as they measured the other up. Doggett was the first to attack, thrusting at Kawai chest. 

Kawai easily deflected the blow and countered with several swift strokes of the sword. He drove Doggett back and got in under his defenses, slashing his opponent across the arm. 

Doggett winced and back off. He glanced quickly at his arm as a crackling blue light sealed the wound. 

Kawai smirked at Doggett. "I'm looking forward to reestablishing my acquaintance with the lovely Fox. His screams filled me with pleasure." 

Doggett clenched his jaw as he tried not to allow Kawai's taunt to anger him. He'd only win this fight if he kept control over his temper. 

He went on the attack this time driving Kawai back. Their fight went back and forth for the next hour and a half with neither giving ground. Kawai frowned as he realized that his opponent was hardly breaking a sweat while he was already tired. He hadn't expected Doggett's endurance to be this good. 

Kawai stumbled suddenly and Doggett saw his chance, he ran him through the chest with the sword. As Kawai fell to his knees, dropping his sword, Doggett claimed his head with one swift blow of the sharp blade. The body collapsed on the ground and soon blue and white energy erupted from it, striking Doggett, he screamed in pain as he was lifted off his feet. The mansion's windows exploded inward as a violent storm raged around him. And as suddenly as the electrical storm had begun, it ended, dropping Doggett back to the ground. He kneeled on the grass shaken from experiencing his first quickening. 

When Doggett recovered his breath, he cleaned the bloody blade on the hem of Kawai's coat then sheathed it and hurried off the estate to where he had left the rental car parked. As he drove away a man stepped out of the bushes and hurried to his car. The watcher got on his cellphone and reported Kawai's death. 

* * *

Doggett arrived back at the hotel where he and Skinner were staying for the night. They had finished loading the rental truck and would be leaving at first light for the long two-day drive back to Texas. He was looking forward to getting back to Fox. He hoped that his lover's counseling sessions were helping him deal with what he had gone through. Doggett had been following the advice Doctor Krueger had given him on helping his lover. 

Skinner was sleeping when Doggett entered the hotel room. The room had two queen-sized beds. He shrugged off his coat and hung it along with his sword in the small closet. He stripped down to his boxers before entering the small bathroom to take a shower. When he finished and walked back into the bedroom Skinner was awake. 

"Where did you go?" 

"To take care of some unfinished business." 

"MacLeod called. He wants you to call him back." 

Doggett had left his cellphone on the nightstand. "Thanks." 

"You killed him, didn't you?" 

"Who?" Doggett looked down at the cellphone, he couldn't meet Skinner's eyes. 

"Akio Kawai." 

"It was a fair fight." 

"How did you locate him?" 

"Ah, Pierson sent me his address. Pierson used to work for a secret group of people that watched immortals until they found out that he was one. He still has unauthorized access to their computer database on immortals." 

"Did Fox know what you were planning?" 

"No," Doggett said guiltily, "If Fox had known, he would have insisted on coming along. I didn't want him anywhere near Kawai in case I lost." 

"He's not going to be happy you kept this from him." 

Doggett picked up the cellphone and sat on his bed. 

"You are going to tell him, aren't you, John?" 

Doggett looked up as he punched in the telephone number. "When he's better, Walt." He raised the cellphone to his ear. "Hey, Mac, it's John." He listened for several seconds. 

"Yeah, he's dead. He was good but he started to tire after an hour." 

Skinner watched Doggett's face as he listened to the one-sided conversation. His features were a mixture of sadness and relief. 

"Give my thanks to Adam." Doggett nodded. "Okay, see ya both in August." He clicked off the cellphone and set it back on the nightstand. 

"We better get some sleep," Doggett said as he pulled down the covers. "I want to be on the road by five." 

* * *

The Cody Ranch  
Friday, June 7, 2002  
6:00 p.m. 

Mulder, Spender, and Burks were given a tour of the finally completed apartment complex with the secret offices and labs below. The five apartment complexes each had a large community room/lobby with a center fountain. The small fountains were made entirely out of magnetite. Each had a different statue in the center. In building one it was of a fox protecting her cubs. Building two had a wolf howling at the moon. Building three had an eagle taking off in flight. Building four was a menagerie of animals, all seeming to be hidden in the shadows. Mulder picked out a rat, ferret, mouse, and a mink. The final fountain had a statue of a child on her knees, with her arms raised toward the heavens. Mulder's heart stopped as he recognized his sister. He wondered how the artist had gotten a photograph of Samantha. 

"Ron, this place is a work of art." 

"Thanks. It came out better than I imagined. You can thank the craftsmen and women...the details they added are unbelievable." 

Ron Fletcher showed Mulder and the others to one of the apartments. It was two rooms. A nice sized bathroom and a large room that had a king-sized bed with a small alcove that had a computer desk and computer. The room also had a love seat, chair, television set, and a small table and four chairs outside on the deck. 

"Mulder, do you have room here for a middle-aged professor?" Burks asked. 

Mulder smiled at his friend. "Chuck, we'll make room for you." 

"Cool, which is my apartment? I've always wanted to live on a commune." 

"Ron, can we fit Chuck in?" 

"Sure." Many of the people that had come there alone had formed relationships and were living together, so they had some empty apartments. "We have eleven empty units. Chuck can have his pick." 

"I'm not picky...." At that moment several pretty women and a couple of men walk by dressed in swimming suits. They were heading outside to the community pool. "I'd prefer an apartment on the ground floor facing the swimming pool." 

"There is only one of those units left in building four." 

"I'll take it. Now about my laboratory space." 

Mulder chuckled. "As much as you need, Chuck, its yours. Ron, can you work with him? I've depended on Chuck's expertise on several X-File cases." 

"Will do, Mulder." Fletcher turned to Burks. "Make a list of what you need. Sublevel 3 is nearly empty, you can have as much space as you need." 

The sound of a truck horn drew them all outside. 

Skinner parked the truck in the lot next to building three. 

Doggett climbed out of the passenger side. 

Mulder hurried over and hugged him. "I've missed you," he said, "Did you get everything you wanted?" 

"Yeah. Mainly photo albums and my marine medals and such. Oh and my favorite chair." Doggett rested his hands on Mulder's hips. 

"Favorite chair?" 

"Yeah, it's the one that I like to read in." 

"You aren't going to be reading tonight, so the chair will keep on the truck." Mulder turned to his friends. "Guys, if you'll excuse us, John and I have some catching up to do." 

Doggett was hopeful as Mulder pulled him toward their house. 

"Fox, what do you have in mind?" Doggett asked as they stepped into their bedroom from the patio door. 

Mulder placed a hand around the back of John's head and leaned in to kiss him. Their lips touched inquisitively at first then turned hungry as weeks of unfulfilled desire poured out of both men. Doggett's arms went around Mulder's back pulling him up against his body in a crushing hug while he opened his mouth to Mulder's demanding tongue. 

They went from kissing to tearing off each other's light summer clothes. Mulder's mouth traveled down John's throat, stopping a couple of times to nip and suck at the warm flesh. "You know, it bites that I'm not able to leave a love mark on you. I want everyone to know you're mine." 

Doggett smiled as his hands caressed his lover's back. "If it will make you happy I'll get a tattoo that says Fox's." 

"Do I get a say where the tattoo goes?" Mulder asked as his fingers brushed over John's erection. 

Doggett's eyes-widened and he gulped. "Ah sure...I know you wouldn't make me put it anywhere that would be too painful." 

"No pain, no gain." 

"You're cruel." 

"I'm teasing, sweetheart. You don't have to mark your body for me. I love it just the way it is." Mulder squeezed John's buttocks. "I believe it's my turn to be on top." 

"You would remember that." 

"Don't you want me to top you?" 

Doggett kissed Mulder softly. "I'd love for you to top me...get the lube." 

"Get on your back on the bed. I want to look into your beautiful baby-blues." 

Mulder grabbed the lube from the nightstand as his lover climbed on the bed. "Pull your legs back, sweetheart," he said as he got on the mattress. 

Doggett pulled his knees up against his chest, spreading himself open for his lover. 

Mulder smiled down at his lover as he squeezed lube onto his palm to warm it then he spread it between John's buttocks before inserting a slick finger into his lover who was just as tight as the first time they'd made love. Mulder watched John's face as he started to stretch him. His features went from discomfort to pleasure each time Mulder's fingers crazed over his prostate. He worked for several minutes stretching his lover before entering him. 

Doggett placed his legs on Mulder's shoulders as his lover pushed into him. He closed his eyes and moaned with pleasure at the wonderful sensation of being filled. 

"Open your eyes, John. I love watching how blue they get when you're aroused," Mulder said as he thrust into John, his balls slapping against his lover's ass. 

"Ooh...yeah...harder." 

Mulder twisted his hips as he rammed back into John who shook with pleasure as his prostate was hit. 

A surprised look appeared on Mulder's face and he asked, "Tell me what your first quickening was like?" 

"What?" Doggett wasn't sure he heard his lover right. 

"You took Kawai's head." Mulder continued thrusting into his lover after getting over the shock of hearing John's thoughts in his mind. John's thoughts had been intermixed with feelings of love for him and satisfaction over killing the man that had hurt him. 

"How?" 

Mulder turned his head and kissed John's leg. "Tell me." 

Doggett didn't want to talk at that moment. He wanted to get his rocks off. Leave it to his lover to get chatty at the wrong moment. "For Christsake, Fox, just fuck me!" 

"Okay, if you insist." Mulder smirked and grasped John's erection and he picked up the pace of their lovemaking. 

It only took Mulder three more hard thrusts into John's tight orifice to go over the edge, he spurted his release inside his lover. After he caught his breath, Mulder continued to fuck John as he jerked him off. It took several more minutes to bring his lover to release. 

Mulder pulled out of John and bent to lick the white splashes of come off John's chest. 

Doggett lowered his legs back to the mattress then reached down and tugged Fox up on top of him. "C'mere." 

Mulder looked down at John's face and smiled. "We should do that more often. I don't think twice a day is enough." 

Doggett hugged him. "Fox, tell me how you knew that I killed Kawai?" 

"I read your thoughts." Mulder ran his fingers through John's damp hair. "I didn't mean to intrude on your privacy, but I suddenly was able to hear what you were thinking." 

"Oh, what am I thinking now?" 

"You're thinking about how much you love me, but how you'll take me over your knee if I continued to read your thoughts." Mulder grinned. "I'll try to control it." 

"I'd appreciate that." 

"Now tell me what the quickening felt like?" 

"It hurt like a bitch, but afterward I felt recharged...more alive than I ever felt in my life." 

"I'm happy you were able to defeat him...I understand why you didn't want to tell me what you were planning, but you have to know that it would have killed me if anything happened to you." 

"I know, Fox. I just couldn't let him get away with what he did to you." 

Mulder kissed him, and then rolled off. "C'mon, John, let's grab a bath. Now that the complex is finally finished, we're going to have our work cut out for us in the coming months." 

"You're telling me, I have a hundred men and women to train in arm-to-arm combat." 

"Don't forget you have classes to attend on woodworking." 

"Don't remind me." 

"Hey everyone has to learn a craft, its part of our cover. But look on the bright side, Walter is taking woodworking with you." 

"What craft are you learning?" 

"Stained glass." 

Doggett started chuckling as Mulder started the bathtub filling. 

"What's so funny?" 

"Us. At least we're not learning macram." 

Mulder wrapped his arms around Doggett's waist. "I love you." 

* * *

Six Months Later  
San Diego  
Friday, November 22, 2002  
9:00 p.m. 

Scully looked, with tired eyes, at the results of the DNA test she had done on her son. She felt a strange sense of relief at the results. It proved that William was Mulder's son but he wasn't her biological son. 

She put a hand over her mouth to cover a yawn. Scully hadn't been getting enough sleep over the past nine months. William had been displaying powers that frightened her, and she was at the end of her wits on how to deal with him. When he got upset books, toys, dishes would fly across the room, smashing into walls. Scully's mother was even afraid to be alone with him. To make matters worse, she didn't dare hire any babysitters or take him to daycare. So she had to go to part time hours at work and switched her hours so she was working in the evening when William was asleep. This was the only way her mother agreed to take care of him alone. 

Scully was barely making enough money to get by, if it weren't for the monthly support checks Mulder sent her, she'd be in dire straits. 

The telephone rang. "Scully," she answered. 

"Dana, come home now!" Maggie said. 

"Mom, what's wrong?" she could hear the sound of sirens in the background. 

"He started the house on fire." 

"Oh God, I'll be right there!" Scully hung up, grabbed her bag off the desk, and shoved the DNA results inside then hurried out of the county morgue. 

Her heart was pumping frantically as she drove the fifteen miles home. She arrived just as the firemen were winding up their hoses. Scully could see that the front door was charred. Her mother was standing on the front lawn holding William. He was clapping and giggling at all of the excitement. His blue eyes sparkled with delight. He pointed and said, "Pretty." 

"Mom, what happened?" 

"William woke up about two hours after you left and climbed out of his crib. I was reading in the living room while sipping a glass of wine. I had a scented candle lit on the end table. William climbed up on my lap and seemed fascinated by the candle. Then he looked over at the coat rack and the top of it burst into flames. The flames ignited the curtains next to it, so I grabbed him and the cellphone and hurried out the backdoor." 

Scully paled. "Oh, Mom, what am I going to do?" 

"You need to do something. He could kill us and himself." 

"I'll take care of it, Mom," Scully said as she took her son from her mother. 

* * *

San Diego  
Monday, November 25, 2002  
11:00 a.m. 

Mulder parked the rental in front of Scully's house. He looked at Doggett then at the house with a new front door. "Are you sure you want to do this with me?" 

"He's your son, Fox. If what Dana said is true, you're the only one who is equipped to handle him." Doggett placed his hand on Mulder's thigh. "Don't worry, we'll raise him together." 

"Why did she keep this from me for so long?" 

"She didn't know where we were living." 

"She could have gotten in touch with me through the Gunmen." 

"Could have, should have." Doggett shook his head. "We probably should have contacted her about what we learned about William's paternity." 

"I thought she was happy...I didn't want to ruin it for her." Mulder opened the car door. He was no longer worried that his involvement in his son's life would place him in danger. With Burks' help he had broken through many barriers on his hybrid powers, and he felt he was now strong enough to protect his son. 

The front door opened and Maggie stepped outside. "Hi, Fox." She looked questioningly at Doggett. "John, what are you doing here?" 

"Mrs. Scully, John's my life partner." 

"You're both gay?" 

Mulder shrugged. "Sort of." 

Maggie frowned. "Come in." 

Mulder and Doggett stepped through the front door as Scully walked out of the back bedroom with a box in her hands. William was playing on the living room floor. 

"Mulder, thanks for coming. I just can't take care of him...he's too dangerous, besides he's not even my biological son. They used me as nothing more than a container for him to grow within." 

"Scully, I'm sorry. I found out months ago that Marita Covarrubias provided the ovum for William...I should have told you." 

"You should have, Mulder! I thought he was my son!" 

"You were desperate to have a child...I didn't want to spoil it for you. If you would have told me something was wrong earlier I might have been able to help." 

"Mulder, take your son and leave!" Scully shoved the box, filled with William's belongings, into his arms. 

William had stopped playing and was watching his mom yelling at the strange man. He became upset and suddenly a book shot across the room at Mulder's head. 

The book stopped in midair. Mulder handed John the box then walked over and picked up his son. "Don't mess with me, Willie boy," Mulder said as he made the book fly back to the bookshelf. 

Scully's and her mother's mouths hung open as they watched. 

"William, your mom can no longer take care of you, so you're coming home with John and me." He smiled at his son, whose first birthday was tomorrow. Then Mulder looked at Scully. 

"Scully, I'm sorry." 

"Just leave, Mulder." 

Mulder looked at John and nodded his head toward the door. Doggett carried the box out to the car while Mulder carried William, stopping to pick up the car seat sitting by the front door. 

William looked over his Dad's shoulder at his mom. "Go bye, bye, Mommy." He rested his tiny head on Mulder's shoulder and started sucking his thumb as he was carried out the door. 

* * *

Anasazi Ruins  
Tuesday, November 26, 2002  
11:00 a.m. 

Jeffrey walked through the ancient ruins, led toward his destination by the smell of cigarette smoke. He climbed a ladder then walked through a doorway and stopped before his father, glancing briefly at an elderly Navajo woman. 

"Boy, I'm surprised to see you here. I thought you'd be long dead by now," CGB Spender said. 

Jeffrey aimed a handgun at his father's head. "A father shouldn't outlive his son, don't you agree, Dad?" 

"You're too spineless to shoot me." The Smoker snorted with disdain. "You're a loser and never amounted to anything. You weren't even a good test subject! Look at you, who could possibly love a man with no face? You have no one!" 

"You're wrong, Dad, I'm not a loser. I'm living with my brother and his lover. Fox and John love me and treat me with respect. I've made many close friends among the people that are part of the resistance. What do you have?" Jeffrey said as he looked around the grubby ruins. 

"You're lying." 

Jeffrey held out an unscarred hand for his father to see. "Fox is using his powers as a hybrid to heal me. The process causes him a great deal of pain, so you see father he does love me. We're a family. On Thursday we'll be celebrating Thanksgiving together along with my nephew William." 

"Maybe I underestimated you, son." 

Jeffrey cocked the gun. "Fox had Bill Mulder to raise him, he wasn't perfect, but he was a far better father than the piece of shit I had." He pulled the trigger putting a slug through his father's head. 

He walked over to the crumpled body on the ground and emptied the remainder of the clip into the old man's head. Then he bent down and checked for a pulse. Finding none he stood and looked at the woman standing quietly watching him. "I had to make sure." 

* * *

Thanksgiving Day 

Cody Ranch  
Thursday, November 28, 2002  
1:00 p.m. 

Char smiled at Walter, watching as he mixed the ingredients together for a green bean casserole. He had insisted on making it since it was something his family always had for Thanksgiving. She glanced over at Doggett and Mulder, both working together to make a pot of pumpkin soup. 

There really wasn't a whole lot of cooking left to do. She and Walter had made several pies, a Jell-O mold, and meat stuffing, in addition to a cornbread stuffing yesterday. Walter and John argued about the type of stuffing that they should have, each wanting their family's traditional stuffing. When they asked Mulder to decide, he suggested making both since they were having a house full of guests for Thanksgiving. Now only the mash potatoes and giblet gravy were left to make. 

Jeffrey walked into the room carrying William. His nephew had taken an instant liking to him. Char noticed that Jeffrey's mood had become lighter since he had moved to servants' quarters in a bedroom next door to Rachel's. He said it was because he found that part of the large house to be quieter than the rest of the place. But Char noticed the looks that Jeffrey gave Rachel every time she was in the same room as him. Rachel was extra sweet to him, so Char assumed their feelings were mutual. However, Jeffrey hadn't made as much as a pass at Rachel. Char hoped that Mulder would be able to heal Jeffrey's disfigurement so he could get his confidence back. 

"What time are Adam and Mac arriving?" 

"They should be here any minute, they're bringing a friend along," Doggett said. 

The back door opened and Doctor Burks and the Gunmen entered the house. Burks had been giving them a tour of the place, including his laboratory. The Gunmen had arrived last night and were staying through the weekend. 

"Guys, this place is remarkable!" Frohike said. 

Langly snatched an olive off the relish tray. "Yeah, man, I never expected you guys to join a cult." 

"We didn't join a cult, Langly. They joined us," Doggett said blandly. 

"So what do you guys have planned next?" Byers asked. 

"We're signing up for craft shows across the country in areas that we suspect the aliens have infiltrated," Mulder said. "We're going to take them out quietly wherever we find them." 

Doggett rolled his eyes. "We're holding the craft shows in areas that have a large military presence. We're going to take out any supersoldiers we find and the traitors that are working with them." He stopped talking and looked toward the front of the house. 

The front door opened and a voice called out. "Mom, Dad, we're home!" 

"Fox, have I ever mentioned how annoying I find your ex?" Doggett asked. 

"Only a few hundred times." Mulder smiled as Pierson and MacLeod stepped into the room followed by an older man walking with the help of a cane. 

"I hope you made enough food, I'm starving," Pierson said as he pulled Mulder into a hug. 

Doggett's eyes narrowed and his mouth thinned as he glared at the ancient immortal. 

"Mulder, thanks for telling us that your loser boyfriend was back in your life," Frohike said as he and the other Gunmen, also glared at Pierson. They had been there after Pierson had left Mulder and seen first hand how devastated their friend had been over his lover's rejection. 

"Hey, if it isn't the three Stooges, how's it hanging boys?" Pierson asked as he opened the fridge and help himself to a cold brew. 

Langly gave him the finger. 

MacLeod stepped in before the situation could deteriorate. "Guys, I'd like you to meet a very good friend of ours, Joe Dawson." He proceeded to introduce Dawson to each of the men in the room, except the Gunmen who he didn't know. 

Mulder took care of those introductions. Then William started crying and a jar of pickled herring lift up from the counter and hurdled across the room toward the wall. It froze in midair inches from the wall. Mulder took William from Spender as Doggett walked over and retrieved the floating jar as if it was the most normal thing in the world. 

"Ah, what just happened?" Dawson asked. 

Mulder checked his son's diaper. "Eeew, no wonder you're upset. C'mon, Willie, let Daddy change your diaper." 

"I poopy, Daddy." 

"Yes you are. If you would use your potty chair, you won't have this problem." 

Doggett followed Mulder to the bedroom as Doctor Burks tried to explain what just happened. 

"Mulder's son, William, is like him, part alien and part human. They both possess supernatural abilities. Telekinesis is only one of them." 

"What do you mean part alien? You don't mean little green men?" Dawson looked at MacLeod to see if he thought this was total bullshit, too. 

"Gray," Skinner corrected. "Joe, we're fighting a war against a race of aliens and their human collaborators inside our government and military. We're on the brink of being invaded. You can believe it, or not. John isn't convinced, but he's starting to bend." 

"You seem like a normal, rational man, Walter. Why do you believe in aliens?" Dawson asked as MacLeod handed him a bottle of beer. He took a seat at the counter and rested his cane against it. 

"I saw a UFO close up...until that moment I didn't believe. I didn't really want to believe...it was too crazy. I believed in Mulder and his quest for answers, to his sister's abduction, and what our country and military were covering up. He uncovered too much for me not to believe, but like John, I thought it was all human-created evil. Until I looked up and watched the enormous spaceship pass overhead that had just abducted Mulder." 

Char touched her lover's arm. "Walter, the turkey is done, can you lift it out of the oven for me? It should rest for twenty minutes before we carve it." 

"Sure, Dear." 

Mulder and Doggett came back into the room with Doggett carrying William. "Look at that big bird, Willie," he said as Skinner placed the heavy pan on the tiled counter top. 

Pierson walked over and touched the baby's cheek. "He's adorable. Fox, he has the shape of your face and mouth." 

"Hopefully he won't get my nose." 

"I like your nose," Doggett said. 

Mulder smiled at him then walked over to the stove. "Thanks for keeping on eye on the soup, Char. I feel like we've left you to do most of the work." 

"Well, you can make it up to me by doing the dishes." 

"John and I will be happy to do the dishes," he said as he poured the soup into the tureen and carried it into the dining room. 

"If everyone would like to go into the dining room," Doggett said. He carried William into the room and placed him in the highchair between his and Fox's seats at the head of the table. "Fox, watch William while I help Char and Walter carry out the rest of the food." 

The dining room table was set with fine China, silverware, and linen. Mulder filled the soup bowls while Spender opened the bottle of wine and filled the wineglasses as their guests took their seats. 

"Your home is very beautiful, Mulder, thanks for having me at your table," Dawson said. 

"I'm glad you were able to join us, Joe. Mac and Adam had only nice things to say about you, and I wanted to meet the man who Adam respected and held in the highest regard." 

Dawson raised a skeptical eyebrow and looked across the table at Pierson. The ancient immortal smiled sweetly back. 

"Walter wants to say grace before we eat," Mulder said as Frohike picked up the soupspoon. 

"Damn, there's always one in every group," Frohike muttered. 

"You don't believe in God, Melvin?" MacLeod asked. 

"I believe in God, I'm just not a religious man." 

It took a couple of minutes to get all of the food on the table. Walter sat at the other head of the table as Mulder prepared a small plate for William, of Jell-O, mashed potatoes, and sweet potatoes. 

"Please bow your heads, so we can give thanks," Skinner said, "Bless us, O Lord, for these, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty. Food in a world where many walk in hunger; For faith in a world where many walk in fear; For friends in a world where many walk alone; We give you thanks, O Lord. Amen." 

"Amen," the others said. 

Everyone started on the soup while Mulder switched between helping his son eat and eating his own soup. After they finished Doggett helped Char clear the soup bowls off the table while Skinner carved the turkey. The others carried on conversations ranging from politics to entertainment as they passed the bowls of food around the table. Frohike said he thought the Anna Nicole show was better than the Osbornes and everyone moaned. Mulder fed William as he listened to his friends. The baby was more interested at watching the people at the table than eating. 

Mulder felt at peace. Scully had called him that morning and apologized. She had done some soul-searching and realized that she still wanted to be part of their son's life and asked him if she could come out a couple of times a year to visit him. Mulder agreed immediately, so Scully and her mom would be out for two weeks over Christmas, and again for two weeks in the summer. 

Doggett sat back at the table to a plate full of food. Mulder grinned at him and said, "I hope you're hungry." 

"I'm starving." Doggett looked lovingly into Fox's bright hazel eyes. He had everything he'd ever wanted in his life. A passionate and caring lover, good friends, and now a son. Good food, a place to sleep, and a meaningful purpose to his life were just the icing. Yeah he was hungry and happy. 

No matter what the coming months and years brought, John would always remember this moment. 

* * *

Cody Ranch  
Thursday, December 5, 2002  
2:00 a.m. 

Doggett was awakened by a noise coming from the backyard. He shook Mulder awake. "Hey, Fox, I think there's some wild animal in pain out back." 

Mulder rolled on his back and listened, then he chuckled. "That sounds like Adam. C'mon, let's have a look." 

They climbed out of bed and made their way across the darkened bedroom to the sliding door leading out to the patio and the swimming pool. 

"Sh," Mulder said as they peered outside. The moon was full and a light next to the swimming pool provided more than enough light for them to see the backyard and pool. 

Pierson and MacLeod were in the pool. Pierson was resting his arms on the side of the pool in the shallow end, while MacLeod was behind him and thrusting into his body. Each thrust brought a sound of pleasure from Pierson's lips and splashed water over the rim. 

"Does he always make so much noise during sex? He sounds like a cat being strangled," Doggett whispered into Fox's ear. 

"Yeah, I almost forgot about that...he doesn't have many inhibitions in that area." Mulder licked his lips as he watched the two men make love in the swimming pool. The sight aroused him. They fucked for several more minutes before Pierson wailed out his release and soon after MacLeod grunted and collapsed on top of him. 

John's hand had found its way inside the back of Fox's boxers and was caressing his butt. He had gotten hard watching them. "How come we've never gone skinny dipping in the moonlight?" 

"We can once--" 

"I go potty, Daddy." 

Mulder and Doggett turned at the sound of their son's voice. William stood in the bedroom doorway holding his teddy bear. The light coming in from the hallway illuminated him from behind. 

Mulder walked over to William, while Doggett turned on the nightstand lamp. He took his son's hand and walked him into the bathroom where his potty-chair was set up. 

Doggett watched from the doorway as Fox removed William's diaper and the little boy sat on the potty-chair. He enjoyed watching how easily his lover took to raising the child. Fox never raised his voice or lost his temper, there was an unhurried gentleness about him when Fox was around children. 

"I think you may be ready for training pants. Don't you think, John?" 

"He's had two days of clean diapers, so I think its time." 

"You did very good, Willie," Mulder praised as he wiped his son's bottom and put back on his diaper. William hurried over to John and raised his arms. "Up, Papa." 

John bent and picked him up. He cuddled William against his chest as he carried him over to the sink and washed his hands while Mulder emptied the small pot. 

"I sleep in big bed, Papa." 

After just watching Pierson and MacLeod, John had been looking forward to having sex with Fox, but he had a hard time denying their son anything, especially when William looked at him with those big blue eyes. "Okay, Will, you can sleep with us tonight. But tomorrow night it's back in your own bed." 

Fox was making progress teaching the child to control his temper, he was using telepathy to communicate with William, and it had a remarkable affect on their son's overall intelligence. William was already months ahead in development of kids his own age. 

He placed William on the bed and the toddler crawled under the covers in the center of the mattress. 

Fox walked out of the bathroom, carrying the teddy bear, which he placed under the covers next to William. He smiled at John. "Thanks for being such a good sport." 

"Hey, he's our son, it has nothing to do with being a good sport. I never thought I'd have a chance to be a dad again, and I don't want to miss a moment of our son's life," Doggett said as he slid back under the covers. 

Mulder switched off the bedside lamp and climbed under the covers on the opposite side of the bed. He lay on his side facing John while his hand rested on their son's small body. John moved closer and placed his hand on top of Fox's. They lay staring into each other's eyes for several minutes, before they leaned in and kissed over William's sleeping body. 

Mulder sighed contentedly as their kiss ended. He'd never been happier in his life. For once he felt they stood a good chance of winning the upcoming battles and possibly the upcoming war. He rubbed his son's back as he looked down at William sleeping between them. Mulder took comfort in knowing that if anything were to happen to him, John would raise William and love him as his own. 

"Goodnight, sweetheart." 

Doggett smiled at him. "'Night, loverboy." 

They closed their eyes and fell asleep with hopes and dreams of a happy future. 

* * *

Ten miles away an enormous shape floated unseen above the silent land below. It moved slowly as if scouting the land. A low hum sounded as it lifted higher into the nighttime sky then, with incredible speed, it shot up into space leaving those sleeping below unaware it had ever been there. 

* * *

The end 

* * *

If you enjoyed this story, please send feedback to Jo B


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